Orthodox and Greek Catholics celebrate on August 2 the feast of Elijah (Elijah), the first of the most respected immaculates. In churches on this day there are passages of the cross and blessing of water where there are sanctuaries in honor of the prophet.

Prophet Elijah

Every year the Orthodox celebrate on August 2 the feast of Elijah, the prophet who lived in Palestine in the 9th century. up to B.C. From a young age he settled in the desert and lived there in fasting and prayer. Elijah was called into prophetic service during the reign of the idolater sovereign Ahab, who worshiped Baal (the sun) and forced the Israeli population to act in a similar way. God sent Elijah to Ahab and ordered him to tell him that if the population did not turn to the real Lord, his kingdom would face a crisis. Ahab did not listen to the prophet in any way, and waterlessness and great trouble arose in the state.

During the period of dangerous fasts and famine, the prophet lived in the desert. Then he found shelter for two years with a widow in the town of Sarepta. Afterwards he returned to the Kingdom of Israel and declared to the ruler and the whole people that all the misfortunes of the Israelites, without exception, were due to the fact that they had forgotten the true Lord and began to bow to the image of Baal.

to Baal

First, they built an altar to Baal, threw in some wood, slaughtered a bull, and the priests of Baal began to offer prayers to their own god. In the evening, Ilya made his own altar, laid logs, sprinkled them with water and began to offer prayer to the Lord God. Suddenly, a flame descended from the sky and burned not only the logs and the sacrifice, but also the water and the stones of the altar. The population, noticing this magic, glorified the true Lord and believed in him again.

Elijah the prophet (August 2 holiday) was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. The seer Elisha was an eyewitness to this wondrous ascent. Then, in the Transfiguration of the Lord, someone appeared together with the prophet Moses and appeared before Jesus Christ.

According to legend, the seer will become the Forerunner of the 2nd coming of Christ and will suffer physical death during the period of preaching.

Story

Ilya the Seer is the most famous blessed one among ordinary people. And for this reason, it is certain that August 2 (the holiday of Elijah) is secured by traditions, customs and beliefs. In popular beliefs, Ilyusha the Seer appears as a powerful, gray-haired old man who rides around the boundless firmament in his own chariot. His punishing hand sends flaming arrows, shaking demons and humans who do not adhere to the decree of the Lord. No matter where the seer appears, he is surrounded by flame, nightmare, death and decay. It symbolizes the wrath of God and according to the whole of Rus', Elijah the prophet was called nothing less than stern.

Traditions

The traditions of August 2, the holiday of Elijah, have pagan origins. During this period ancient Slavs respected the Lord Thunderer Perun. And only after the baptism of Rus' under the influence of the Orthodox church, the appearance of the pagan deity was eventually replaced in the national consciousness by Elijah the Prophet. He embodied all the functions of the Thunderer without exception.

Absolutely all legends described that Elijah the Seer expresses the Lord’s wrath. His punishing, just hand punished the spirits of the dark, and especially the evil demons. According to people's beliefs, all evil spirits are protected from his formidable arrows, transforming not only into unbridled animals (hares, foxes) and sycophants, but also into everyday ones: dogs, cats and others.

Therefore, a tradition arose not to let dogs and cats and other household pets out into the street, so that the spirits of darkness, who had found refuge in them and were fleeing from arrows, would not sneak into the home, and the discharge aimed at them would not enter the house.

In Ilya, on August 2, people certainly wash with spring water. It protects against diseases and deterioration of health.

Especially on this day you need to beware of pine trees with 2 peaks. If there is a thunderstorm, then all doors and windows in the home, without exception, are covered, and lamps and candles are lit in front of the icons. After a thunderstorm, rainwater is collected. It has healing power and protects against the evil eye.

On the Orthodox holiday of August 2, Elijah the prophet instructs not to work in the garden. The Seer is able to strike the worker with lightning or burn the grass. Only one type of work is officially permitted - this is the inspection of hives and the first reduction of honeycombs in the beehouse. According to legend, evil spirits are afraid of bees and do not approach them in any way.

Signs

The fact that the Seer is the ruler of thunder, lightning, whirlwinds and rain clouds gave rise to many omens. You can believe in the holiday of Elijah 2; as a rule, they are true. You should pay attention to the following omens.

• You shouldn't take a dip since Ilyin's day - he peed in the water.
• From Ilya's day all the liquid cools down.
• Before Ilya, the man bathes, and after Ilya, he says goodbye to the river.
• Thunder rumbles - in this case, Ilyusha moves across the sky in his own chariot.
• Ilya accepts the harvest and ends the season.
• You cannot work in the ground during Ilya’s period, otherwise it will burn you with an azure flame.
• Before Ilya, the clouds go according to the wind, but from Ilya they begin to go contrary.
• Before Elijah, the priest will not beg for the rain, but after Elijah the woman will bring it with an apron.
• After Ilya's day, you won't find a horse in the garden - look how impenetrable the nights are.
• From Ilyin's day there is a night of duty: the worker gets enough sleep, and the stallions eat enough.
• Anyone who finds himself in the rain during Ilyin's period will always be in excellent shape.
• Whoever counts the heaps of Ilya, he will lose all the benefits without exception.

What can you do?

The signs for the holiday of Elijah on August 2 are simple and clear. You cannot work on this day. But what can you do, despite popular beliefs?

Every religious person on this day he will definitely go to temple. Since it is on the second of August that they hold festive services in honor of In addition, processions of the cross are organized. After the services, families gather for a formal dinner. People specializing in arable farming have every chance of requesting an excellent harvest from Elijah during this period.

What not to do?

What should you not do on the holiday of Elijah on August 2, so as not to send trouble to yourself? During a thunderstorm, it is forbidden to be in the water, near trees, near a pine tree with 2 peaks, running down the street, speaking loudly, humming, or screaming.

Grandmothers taught their descendants in such bad weather to close the door tightly, curtain the windows, light either a lamp or a candle (Epiphany or Thursday) in front of the icon, then cross themselves and everyone without exception, asking Elijah the prophet to free their loved ones from the shaking thunder, from the unstable arrow. For this ritual, there must certainly be a handkerchief. In order to protect their own homes and yard, the steppe, and animals from lightning, people fumigated everything without exception with incense in the evening before the holiday, and in daytime the next day.

It is believed that during this period it is impossible to carry out practically any work related to land and housing, so as not to anger the holy prophet. There is a popular legend that activities in the garden have every chance of causing the destruction of the crop. On this day, it is not prohibited to carry out activities related to bees and caring for them. On holidays, it is allowed to prepare wax for the purpose of making candles.

Why can't you go into the water?

Swim after August 2, church holiday Ilya, it is impossible, since the seer, according to legend, had cooled the water by this moment. The people also know the proverb: “A seer muddies the water in rivers.”

The second opinion, why you should not swim after Ilyin’s day, warns that this harms your well-being. Since from this period the water in the ponds begins to bloom - this is not in the best possible way will affect the body.

It is generally accepted among people that on August 2 the swimming season ends; the air temperature at night becomes significantly lower than the daytime temperature. Similar differences are reflected in the water.

Another factor why society in the old days was afraid to plunge into life after Elijah’s day was feral animals and evil forces. If you trust popular superstitions, then on the night of August 2nd, evil spirits are encountered near reservoirs - mermen, mermaids, demons. It is as if they have been starting to rule the rivers and lakes since that time. For this reason, the threat of drowning is very great - before a person has time to come to his senses, the non-human will take him and drag him along with him.

From the history

The tradition of celebrating the Day of the Prophet Elijah dates back nine centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. The future prophet was born in the city of Thesvia (Thiswah). At the time of the birth of the child, Sovahu, Elijah's father, had a vision in which heavenly angels swaddled and fed the baby with fire. This vision turned out to be prophetic, as Elijah became a torch of faith.

When the boy grew up, he went to live in the desert, where he prayed a lot and observed strict fasting. It is known about the life of Elijah that he was an example of a chaste life and resisted idolatry and wicked actions with all his might.

During the life of the prophet, the kingdom of Israel was ruled by Ahab, whose power-hungry wife actively imposed the cult of Astarte and Baal on the people. Elijah, being a zealous fighter for the purity of faith and an opponent of idolatry, tried to put the king on the right path, for which he performed many miracles. However, nothing had any effect on the dishonest ruler. Ahab was not even afraid of the approaching three-year drought and famine in the state, which the prophet foretold as punishment for returning to paganism.

After three years of famine, Elijah again tried to reason with the Israelites, telling them about the true faith. The Prophet suggested making sacrifices on Mount Carmel - to God and Baal - and to see on which altar the fire would descend from heaven. All day the idolaters hoped for a miracle, but no matter how much the priests of Baal prayed, they could not wait for the fire. In the evening Elijah made an altar to God, pouring water on the wood. The Prophet began to pray, a rapid fire descended from the sky, hitting not only the sacrifice and firewood, but also stones with water, and soon a heavy downpour began, which saturated the parched earth. Amazed by what they saw, the Israelis repented and again began to glorify the true God. According to legend, at the end of his earthly journey the prophet was taken alive to Heaven, as Elisha (disciple of Elijah) said, who saw the saint ascend to Heaven in a fiery chariot drawn by four white horses. It is believed that Elijah is in heaven waiting for the second coming of Christ in order to return to earth again.

For Orthodox Christians, Elijah's day has a specific fixed date every year - August 2. However, parishioners of the Roman Catholic Church celebrate the Day of the Prophet Elijah on February 16, along with the veneration of other prophets, and the Armenian Church - on the first Sunday after Trinity (Pentecost). In addition, in some Orthodox calendars period of the 9th-11th centuries there is another date when the prophet Elijah was venerated - August 7. This day comes after the Transfiguration of the Lord.

The day of remembrance of the prophet began to be actively celebrated in Byzantium in the 9th-10th centuries AD. People staged performances, feasts, and relaxed. For the Slavs, the prophet Elijah actually replaced the thunderer Perun: he had the same capabilities, he was also revered, and they prayed to him before battle. Elijah, like Perun, is considered the patron saint of warriors (specifically aviators and paratroopers).

First Orthodox church in Rus' was built in Kyiv precisely in honor of the prophet Elijah even before the official Baptism of Rus', which indicates his great veneration among the people. History suggests that the Baptism of Rus' itself took place near this church, which to this day stands on the banks of the Dnieper.

How the Church celebrates Elijah's Day

On this day Orthodox Church in its temples it glorifies Elijah with prayers and services as one of the most revered saints Old Testament. In individual churches, especially those that bear the name of the prophet, divine liturgies and religious processions are held.

The holiday is richly reflected in the signs and proverbs of our people: “On Elijah, winter fights with summer,” “On Elijah, before lunch it’s summer, after lunch it’s autumn.” “Elijah conceives the stubble, summer ends.” Popularly, this day is considered the junction of two seasons, when the warm summer ends and the autumn coolness begins, the nights become longer and longer, cooling the air and water bodies, hence - “Before Elijah, people swim, and after him they say goodbye to the river,” “From the holiday of Elijah, water is all colder."

The folk Orthodox holiday Elijah's Day has its own signs, traditions and customs. On this day, both pagan and church rituals are combined.

Since ancient times, people have preserved many signs that have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived to this day.

Signs

On Elijah's Day they always asked for good weather and a rich harvest. If there was no rain for a long time, they asked Ilya for heavy rainfall; if there was too much rainfall, then they asked for a little sun and even a little drought.

They pray to Ilya and ask for well-being in the house. And if one of the relatives or friends is sick, then they ask for health for this person.

In the Church, divine liturgies are read at services, and procession. Gardeners bring seeds to church to consecrate them and lay the foundation for a future good harvest.

It is customary to have a big meal in every home. Neighbors, relatives, friends gather around a long table, and often several villages are reunited. Housewives bake round flatbreads, stew lamb and pork, and bake bread. On Elijah's Day, attention is paid to homeless people and those who need food or money.

If there is a lot of rain on this day, then there will be few fires this year.

If you heard very strong thunder, it means that you will have frequent headaches throughout the year.

From Ilya's Day the night becomes longer.

The weather changed a lot on Ilya. So, in the morning it can be summer, and in the afternoon a golden, rainy autumn begins.

On this day, they listened to the thunder; if it was dull, then expect rain; if it was loud, then there would be rain.

It was forbidden to form a haystack on Elijah’s Day; it was believed that a fire would burn it down.

From Ilya's Day it was possible to collect peas.

On Ilyin's Day, they made spells for seeds - then the next year's harvest would be high-quality and voluminous.

Traditions

One of the most famous and important traditions is that it was forbidden to swim in bodies of water. And if it was raining outside, no one left the house. This tradition is associated more with pagan times. According to legend, all evil spirits penetrate water, so it was impossible to fall under it or dive into bodies of water. Otherwise, the livestock may not survive the year, and the owner will be left without crops and food. In general, from that day on it was believed that the reservoirs would already be cold and no one should swim in them anymore.

Despite the fact that it is not customary to work on this day, still on August 2, if there was no rain, and this rarely happened, various herbs and plants were prepared: immortelle, cornflower, oregano, calendula, coriander, raspberries, oats, chamomile and others .

Customs

All legends described that Elijah the prophet expresses God's wrath. His punishing, just right hand punished the spirits of darkness, and especially evil demons. According to people's belief, all evil spirits are saved from his lightning arrows, turning not only into wild animals (hares, foxes) and reptiles, but also into domestic ones: dogs, cats and others.

That is why on August 2, a custom arose not to let dogs and cats out into the street and not to let pets in, so that the spirits of darkness, who had found shelter in them and were fleeing from arrows, would not sneak into the home, and the lightning intended for them would not hit the house.

The peasants took out their guns to repel the evil spirits that possessed wolves, foxes and other animals.

On this day, fishermen threw away fish with red eyes caught during a thunderstorm, believing that devils had found a temporary refuge in them.

Rituals

During a thunderstorm, it was forbidden to be under a tree, under a pine tree with 2 tops, to run along the street, to speak loudly, to sing, to shout, or to shoot. Grandmothers taught their grandchildren to close the doors tightly during a thunderstorm, curtain the windows, and light either a lamp or a candle (Epiphany or Thursday) in front of the icon; cross themselves and everything around them, begging Elijah the prophet to deliver their family from the shaking thunder, from the flying arrow.

During this protective ritual there had to be a scarf on the head. To protect their homes and yards, fields, and livestock from lightning, peasants fumigate everything with incense in the evening before the day of Elijah.

The Nazarenes marveled at the word of the Lord, but still did not believe: envy interfered, as the Lord Himself revealed. And every passion is contrary to truth and goodness, but envy is the greatest of all, for its essence consists of lies and malice; this passion is the most unjust and the most poisonous both for the one who bears it and for the one to whom it is directed. It happens to everyone on a small scale, as soon as an equal, and especially a worse one, gains the upper hand.

Selfishness gets irritated, and envy begins to sharpen the heart. It’s not so painful when the road is open for yourself; but when it is blocked, and blocked by those towards whom envy has already begun, then her aspirations cannot be restrained: peace is impossible here. Envy demands the overthrow of its enemy from the mountain and will not rest until it somehow achieves this or destroys the envier himself.

Well-wishers, whose sympathetic feelings prevail over selfish ones, do not suffer from envy. This shows the way to extinguish envy and everyone tormented by it. You must hasten to arouse goodwill, especially towards the one you envy, and show it in action - the envy will immediately subside. Several repetitions of the same kind, and, with God's help, it will calm down completely. But leaving it like that will torment it, dry it out and drive it into the grave, when you cannot overcome yourself and force it to do good to the envied.

Books, articles, poems

Terrible prophet.

Among the many names that fill the Christian Monthly Books, the name of the prophet Elijah, who lived almost three thousand years ago, occupies a special place. Few saints enjoy such veneration in Orthodox people. But at the same time, he appears to people as a semi-fairy-tale figure, some kind of rival of Zeus the Thunderer, who rides around the heavens in a chariot and throws lightning bolts on the earth. At the same time, on the day of his holiday, he “cools” the water in rivers and lakes so much that swimming in them becomes, for superstitious Russians...

As a child, my grandmother always forbade us to swim in the river after Ilya’s day, so my grandfather Sergius forbids his children and grandchildren because Ilya cooled the water. In addition to this tradition, there are many more different signs that were observed by our ancestors and are observed to this day.

Why can't you go into the water?

It is impossible to swim after August 2, Elijah’s day, since the seer, according to legend, had cooled the water by this time. The people also know the proverb: “A seer muddies the water in rivers.”

The second opinion, why you should not swim after Ilyin’s day, warns that this harms your well-being. Since from this period the water in the ponds begins to bloom, this will not have the best effect on the body.

It is generally accepted among people that on August 2 the swimming season ends; the air temperature at night becomes significantly lower than the daytime temperature. Similar differences are reflected in the water.

Another factor why society in the old days was afraid to plunge into life after Elijah’s day was feral animals and evil forces. If you trust popular superstitions, then on the night of August 2nd, evil spirits are encountered near reservoirs - mermen, mermaids, demons.

Traditions

The Prophet Elijah is revered by Christians not only in Russia, but throughout the world. The Orthodox believed that the prophet Elijah, who defended his faith in the face of the enemy and proved the power of prayer, was taken alive into heaven for his devotion. The Prophet is considered the patron of summer thunderstorms, as well as streams and rivers that do not freeze in winter. Peasant farmers who revered Elijah for centuries noticed the peculiarities of his day, celebrated on August 2. Traditions and signs passed down from generation to generation are confirmed to this day.

Signs

To get rid of the evil eye, you need to wash yourself with Ilyinsky rain;

On Ilya’s day it is still summer before lunch, and after lunch it is autumn;

On Elijah's day, wolf holes open;

From this date the rainy season usually begins;

On the day of Elijah, summer ends.

Rainy day - there will be few fires in the year.

If you get caught in the rain on Elijah’s day, you will have good health all year.

On Elijah’s day, evil spirits, fleeing the wrath of the prophet, turn into various animals.

Rain on Elijah's day foreshadows a bountiful millet harvest.

If on Ilya’s day it is cloudy in the morning, then sowing should be early, if it is cloudy at noon, sowing should be mid-sowing, and if in the evening, sowing should be late and the harvest will be poor.

If it’s dry on Elijah’s day, it will be dry for another six weeks.

On Ilya’s day, dull thunder means quiet rain, booming thunder means downpour, continuous thunder means there will be hail.

They said that if you swim after Elijah's day, you could drown or get sick.

What can you do

The signs on the holiday of Elijah are simple and clear. You cannot work on this day. But what can you do, despite popular beliefs?

Every religious person will definitely go to temple on this day. Since it is on the second of August that they hold festive services in honor of the prophet Elijah. In addition, processions of the cross are organized. After the services, families gather for a formal dinner. People specializing in arable farming have every chance of requesting an excellent harvest from Elijah during this period.

What not to do

What should you not do on the holiday of Elijah, so as not to send misfortune upon yourself? During a thunderstorm, it is forbidden to be in the water, near trees, near a pine tree with 2 tops, running down the street, speaking loudly, humming, or screaming.

On this day, try to look in the mirror less often. This warning especially applies to elderly and sick people. The fact is that on August 2, the influence of the looking glass intensifies, that is, the mirror can draw out the life force of the person looking into it.

Grandmothers taught their descendants in such bad weather to close the door tightly, curtain the windows, light either a lamp or a candle (Epiphany or Thursday) in front of the icon, then cross themselves and everyone without exception, asking Elijah the prophet to free their loved ones from the shaking thunder, from the unstable arrow. For this ritual, there must certainly be a handkerchief.

In order to protect their own homes and yard, the steppe, and animals from lightning, people fumigated everything without exception with incense in the evening before the holiday, and in the daytime of the next day.

It is believed that during this period it is impossible to carry out practically any work related to land and housing, so as not to anger the holy prophet.

There is a popular legend that activities in the garden have every chance of causing the destruction of the crop.

On this day, it is not prohibited to carry out activities related to bees and caring for them. On holidays, it is allowed to prepare wax for the purpose of making candles.

Those who bear the name Ilya celebrate their name days A person born on August 2 will be able to find underground treasures and evil spirits. Amber suits him as a talisman.

A case from one's life

One day, outside the door of the Orthodox museum in which I was the director at that time, an incomprehensible noise was heard. I noticed a man and woman quickly walking away from the door. Their legs were tangled, their movements resembled those of heavily drunk people. I ran through the halls of the museum and intercepted drunks at the emergency exit.

So, little eagles, show me what you whistled?

“We didn’t whistle, but rather brought it and put it under the door,” the woman babbled in fear.

Let’s get out, get out,” the man muttered and tugged at his companion’s sleeve.

Well, let's go see what you brought there.

Why, they brought boards from the table to look at. We saw an announcement on TV that an Orthodox museum had opened and you could donate antiques. So we decided to bring you our boards from the table. Don’t swear too much at us, we drank vodka on this table.

We approached the door where there was indeed a table cover:

Two boards were planed and the rest were covered with what seemed to me like dirty oilcloth.

Well, why do I need your table? We would continue to drink...

The deceased grandmother cursed very much, saying that it was a great sin and that some formidable saint would definitely punish us if we did not take this to the temple. They drove us out of the temple. They called them swindlers. So we decided that this might be useful to you...

I took a rag and began to carefully wipe the oilcloth!

Which turned out to be an ancient icon of Elijah the Prophet on a chariot! The man grabbed his companion and they ran away.

“What’s your name,” I shouted after them, “for whom should I light a candle?”

Don’t swear, boss, we didn’t do this out of malice, but out of a misunderstanding. Just don’t report us to the police,” the woman shouted as she ran away.

So the Orthodox museum acquired another shrine, and drunkards gained peace of mind that they will not be punished by an angry Saint and the boss will not report them to the police....