According to the folk calendar - Feofan the Gracious

Every year on October 12 (September 29, old style) according to the folk calendar, the Day of St Theophan the Merciful is celebrated, which is often called Theophan the Autumn, Theophan's Day On this day the name day of Ivana and Feofan is celebrated Children born on October 12 are considered kind and sympathetic, ready to help The Church ranked Theophan among the Saints for his good deeds Theophanes lived in the 6th century in the Syrian city of Gaza Being quite a rich man, he spared no money for the church, poor people, and wanderers Wealth did not spoil his character and humane lifestyle However, a careless attitude towards finances led to the fact that Feofan soon went broke and became poor and wretched In addition, he suffered from a terrible, unprecedented illness His body was swollen and covered with sores that oozed and bled, emitting a foul odor But even before his death, Theophanes did not renounce his faith, taking his pain as a test from God The martyr’s wife saw his suffering and was upset because a terrible hurricane was raging outside, which would not make it possible to say goodbye to the deceased in peace But on the day of the burial the weather changed dramatically for the better A few days after the death of the righteous man, one of the residents of the city had a prophetic dream in which Feofan asked to come to his grave and open it When they moved the stove away, they heard a pleasant aroma The body of the deceased was cleansed of ulcers and wounds, exuding blessed myrrh, which turned out to be healing And after his death, Feofan continued to help people All seriously ill people who touched the holy relics were expected to be healed In Rus', Saint Theophan is called the Merciful for his good deeds A proverb is associated with this holiday that on Theophan’s Day, people wear a caftan in the sun This indicates that after the holiday cold weather and even frost may come, and sometimes snow falls1 If thunder is heard on St Theophan's Day, the winter will be snowless2 The starry sky foreshadows a dry autumn and a fruitful next year3 If late mushrooms appear in the forest, a long autumn is expected4 The east wind is blowing, the winter will be cold5 If on Feofanov day fog appears in the evening or at night, there will be no frost yet6 Strong wind during the day and weak in the evening - expect clear weather!7 When the salt in the salt shaker on the table becomes damp, it means rain!8 Frost on the trees indicates that a sunny day is expected9 If by the Day of St Theophan the Merciful all the leaves have completely fallen off the birch and oak trees, it means that an easy year is expected, otherwise a difficult and difficult winter is expected October 12 is secretly considered hunter's day On this day they organized a hare hunt If on the way the hunter met a woman or an unfriendly person, he turned off the road and walked along a different path By this day, in frequent cases, the ground was covered with white powder, and the hares that did not have time to change their gray fur coat to a white one became the prey of hunters The rich booty was divided equally among all team members, and part of it went to the festive feast If the trophy was impressive on this day, it means that next year will be comfortable In the evening, the hunters had gatherings at the table with cabbage pies, hare stew, pickles, beer, and mead The feast was accompanied by hunting fables, jokes, anecdotes, and songs What should not be allowed on the Day of St Theophan the Merciful? Anyone who hopes for the favor of fate and good luck in business is prohibited on Theophan’s Day: • spend a lot of money, both on food and on other needs and acquisitions; • be greedy (you need to give alms, help your neighbors);• take offense at your family members and other people and offend someone yourself;• use foul language, swear, shout Saint Theophan was merciful to people, which is required of each of us