Memorial Day of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Wonderworker Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky on December 25 The holiday remembers the acts of a Christian saint who lived at the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries on the island of Cyprus His biography presents an amazing image of a meek ascetic of the true faith, who accomplished many miraculous deeds Saint Spyridon led a modest life as the father of a family, whose fame for his kindness and hospitality spread far beyond the island Strangers and homeless people found shelter in the saint’s house; there was a place and food for all those in need As a reward for virtuous deeds, the saint was endowed with the gift of clairvoyance, healing powers and the power to cast out demons After his appointment as a bishop, Spyridon became a true loving father, fair and merciful, for his flock Despite his high rank, the saint did not disdain to personally herd sheep and work in the fields During the years of drought, the bishop, along with ordinary people, worried about the dying harvest, and thanks to his sincere prayers, rains irrigated the land The saint showed irreconcilable severity towards the heartless hunters for profit He, without fear, expelled the merciless grain merchant from the city, thereby saving the poor from inevitable hunger Traditions have been preserved about miracles that occurred around the saint or from his deeds It was not uncommon for parishioners to hear a choir of angelic voices singing along with the bishop in a church empty of people In an incomprehensible way, the oil in the saint’s lamp was replenished by itself and did not decrease Through the prayers of Spyridon, a recently deceased child was revived again The saint paid special attention to the accuracy of the retelling of the Holy Scriptures and the rituals of the church rite Spiridon experienced the greatest grief when he heard the incorrect reading of spiritual books The last sermon of the holy bishop was filled with love addressed to God and his creations Death, which came during prayer, showed the depth of Spyridon’s religiosity In Rus', the day of remembrance of the saint was associated with the turn of the solar year According to popular beliefs, Spyridon himself turned the solar course From this day on, the daylight begins to gradually increase, displacing the darkness of the night It was strictly forbidden to work on December 25, but during daylight hours it was possible to indulge in winter fun, and in the evening to light fires and conduct fortune telling It was possible to help Saint Spyridon reverse the course of the heavenly body if one climbed to a hill and called upon the sun It was forbidden to appear in the forest where there were bears It was believed that on Spiridon the bear tossed and turned in its den and was easy to wake up There were many weather signs associated with December 25: • a cloudy morning prophesied early spring; • sparrows drag fluff into their nests - to severe frosts; • the wind changes its direction sharply - we should expect a rich buckwheat harvest next year