Memorial Day of St. John Cassian the Roman

Popular belief claims that John Cassian Day is celebrated only in leap years on the last day of February according to the old style or on March 13 in the new style But this is a misconception, since in non-leap years Kasyanov’s day is moved to February 28th according to the old style and the date of March 13th is left unchanged according to the new calendar style Christian theologian John Cassian the Roman was a prominent theorist of monastic life at the turn of the 4th and 5th centuries At the beginning of his ascetic activity, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, where he took monastic vows in one of the monasteries of Bethlehem For several years, Cassian travels through the wastelands and hermitages of Egypt, studying the features of the monastic rule Enriched with knowledge, the Roman accompanies Saint John Chrysostom on his way to Constantinople, where he is ordained a deacon Further in Marseilles, already in the rank of presbyter, the monk founded and equipped monasteries for men and women, similar to those that he studied in Egypt Cassian's further life was devoted to writing theological texts, which described in detail the rules and customs of Egyptian monasticism and revealed many moral Christian concepts Despite his righteous life, the Monk John Cassian the Roman received a negative connotation in the popular imagination among Eastern Christians, for which there are no objective explanations Perhaps the memory of the people reflected a more ancient cult of a pre-Christian creature with a consonant name, and most likely this is the ruler of the underworld Kashchei But perhaps this attitude towards the saint is connected with the date of his memory, which falls on February 29th according to the old style, and with the idea of ​​leap years as unlucky There is a belief that explains why Kasyan earned disfavor and became embittered with people This happened while he was walking on earth One day, Kasyan the saint neglected the request of a man whose cart got stuck on the road But Saint Nicholas came to the peasant’s aid, and when both saints returned to heaven, the Lord asked where the first came from so clean and where the second could get dirty Having heard the story about the unfortunate man and his cart, the Lord decided that Kasyanov’s day would be celebrated only once every 4 years, and in memory of St Nicholas the saint, prayer services would be held twice every year Since then, Kasyan has harbored a grudge against the entire human race, and on the day of his veneration he tries to harm and take revenge Kasyanov's day was considered the most dangerous and unlucky in the national annual calendar They believed that no business could have a positive outcome, and even a simple exit into the street could result in illness or even death A sad fate awaited anyone born on St Kasyan's Day, and this was the fault of the saint himself, who carried obvious demonic features in his image Kasyanov’s gaze, hidden under huge eyelids, was especially terrifying As a result, plants withered and livestock died Kasyan was also subject to weather phenomena; the saint was able to return the winter cold and severe snowstorms