Saint Sylvester's Day for Catholics

In Catholic countries, there is a strange custom of dressing up in carnival costumes and calling themselves Sylvester Claus on December 31 of each year This is due to the celebration of St Sylvester's Day on the last day of December The saint was born and lived in Rome at the turn of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD It was a difficult time for followers of the Christian faith, to which Sylvester's family belonged Having matured and accepted the priesthood, the future saint buries the bodies of executed Christians, contrary to the decrees of Emperor Constantine, who was distinguished by his intolerance of the teachings of Christ Enduring persecution and repression, Sylvester retreats into rocky gorges, but very soon he had the chance to explain to the ruler of the Roman Empire the essence of the true faith According to legend, for his unrighteous deeds, Constantine was struck down with leprosy Tormented by horror and fear, the emperor gathers the most famous healers and pagan priests As a recipe for healing, the emperor is advised to fill the font of a pagan temple with the blood of murdered babies and perform ablution The crying of the mothers prevented Constantine from committing blasphemy, and the holy helpers Peter and Paul, who appeared to him in a dream, explained what needed to be done to heal from the terrible illness On the advice of the apostles, the ruler finds the persecuted Bishop Sylvester on Mount Sarepta and receives baptism from him After repentance, prayers and conversion to Christianity, Constantine is miraculously healed The newly converted emperor stops all persecution of Christians, returns their privileges and begins active construction of cathedrals and churches Soon the teachings of Christ become the official religion in the Western and Eastern empires of Rome, and Sylvester is declared the pope of the Roman clergy and the head of all other clergy until the end of time According to another legend, Pope Sylvester performed another miraculous feat, pushing back the date of the end of the world when he defeated the monstrous Leviathan The arrival of the sea serpent was supposed to foreshadow the apocalypse, but thanks to the act of Sylvester, the monster did not break free The saint introduced himself on December 31, and this date became the day of his commemoration by the church And in the modern world, Bishop Sylvester Day is the beginning of merry New Year holidays and celebrations