According to the folk calendar - Matthew's Day

November 29 marks the national holiday Matveyev Day On this day, Orthodox Christians remember one of the 12 apostles, Levi Matthew Before accepting Christianity, he was a wealthy man leading a sinful lifestyle Matthew served as a tax collector - a publican This position was disrespected in Jewish society; people usually shunned cruel tax collectors One day Levi was sitting near the tollhouse - the place where taxes were collected Jesus Christ, passing by him, ordered him to follow him Levi, imbued with faith in the Lord, became a disciple of Christ Many tax collectors, following the example of Matthew Levi, also received baptism 8 years after the death of his Teacher, the apostle decided to preach Christianity to other nations Then the Jerusalem Christians asked him to leave them the teachings of the Lord This is how the Gospel of Matthew appeared Having traveled around many countries, the evangelist came to the city of Mirmeny There he built a church and turned to the Lord with a request to help convert the local bloodthirsty residents to Christianity The Lord appeared to him in the form of a young man with a rod in his hands and ordered him to place the rod at the entrance to the church The evangelist did just that The rod immediately turned into a beautiful tree, and a spring gushed near its roots The city residents began to eat the fruits of the tree and drink the water This food transformed them, and they believed in Christ The prince of the city tried several times to execute the apostle by burning him, but the evangelist’s body always remained untouched Levi Matthew himself gave his soul to God by praying In the modern world, the Apostle Matthew Levi is considered the patron saint of accountants and customs officers People called this day “Sweat Winter” because it was often warmer On November 29, there was a tradition of going to visit friends and relatives If unwanted guests visited the home, then after they left they washed the floors, wiped the front door, windows and mirrors If the long-awaited guests did not appear, then to speed their arrival, they stuck a needle into the handle of a broom and placed it at the threshold The table for Matthew was fast and modest, as Philip's fast continued Housewives were forbidden to put alcoholic drinks on the table on this day; instead, they treated guests to sbiten Intimate conversations held at the Lenten table were called Matveyev's gatherings On this day, people performed various rituals to preserve harmony and peace in the family Matvey was advised to start important matters and make decisions On November 29, it was strictly forbidden to wear red clothes and look in the mirror Otherwise, you could invite misfortune upon yourself On November 29, churches hold special services, reading troparia and kontakion dedicated to the Apostle Matthew Levi Signs:• If cold weather sets in on November 29, then the winter will be just as severe• Warm weather foreshadows a mild winter• A strong wind blows - the winter will be windy• If winds blow on Matvey, then they will blow until St Nicholas the Winter (December 19 )• The moon is not visible at night, which means that cold weather will come soon• Low-floating clouds predict cold weather• If snow falls, it will not melt until spring