Memorial Day of St. Rodion

The Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of St Rodion of Patras on April 21, according to the new style The monk stood at the very beginnings of Christianity and is one of the 70 first apostles inspired by the Lord to spread the good news among the pagan world Saint Herodion accompanied his relative the Apostle Paul on his missionary travels When Christianity spread on the Balkan Peninsula, Herodion, on behalf of Saints Peter and Paul, became the head of the church in the city of Patara The Apostle showed himself to be a zealous preacher of the Word of God among the pagans and Jews Many, after communicating with the Bishop of Patras, converted to the faith of Christ, but among the idolaters there were also those who fiercely hated Herodion Having agreed in advance, the attackers attacked the apostle, armed with stones and sticks After being brutally beaten and stabbed, the monk fell as if dead But as soon as the villains disappeared, the Lord restored Rodion’s vitality Leaving Patara, the apostle followed Saint Peter, and preached with him for many years When missionaries began to spread Christianity in Rome, they fell out of favor with the cruel Emperor Nero The apostles were taken into custody and sentenced to execution on the same day Peter was crucified on an inverted cross with his head down, and Herodion's head was beheaded with a sword In folk tradition, April 21 was called “Rodion-Icebreaker”, “Icebreaker”, “Roaring Waters” The ice that had bound the rivers all winter began to actively melt and crack, and the water noisily burst out from under the ice captivity St Rodion's Day was considered unusual, because in the sky one could simultaneously see the day and night luminaries together It was believed that the meeting of the Sun and the moon could be not only good, but also bad - leading to litter Clear weather indicated a peaceful meeting; a cloudy and gloomy day indicated worse By the mood on April 21, one could judge the coming summer, which was supposed to exactly repeat the overall picture There were other weather signs: - river ice, gathering in piles, promised a rich harvest of grain, which, when harvested, will be collected in similar high piles; - if a lump of earth crumbles easily, then it’s time to start arable work; - moss on the plowed land predicted a fibrous flax harvest; - the cries of frogs and the appearance of moles from holes indicate the best time for sowing oats On Rodionov's Day, widows and abandoned girls could easily let go of longing for a loved one; all they had to do was come to the river and read a special spell Even the dreams of that day had miraculous powers; they promised to come true in a month