March 22: folk customs and signs of the weather, what not to do
The national holiday on March 22 is known as Forty Forty, Meeting of Spring, Forty Martyrs.
On March 22, Christians honor the memory of the forty martyrs who died for Christ in Asia Minor.
Our ancestors on this day honored all migratory birds, especially larks. Bird feeders were made and filled with grain. Feeders were hung in the garden so that the birds settled there. Birds were good helpers because they hunted garden pests.
Mistresses baked ceremonial buns in the form of birds on March 22. The lark buns symbolized the arrival of spring and the arrival of birds. The “body” of the buns was eaten by themselves and given to children, and the “head” was crumbled into a trough for livestock.
Also on March 22, our ancestors honored the dead – they went to the cemetery and cleaned up on the graves of loved ones. Women prayed to forty martyrs for the safety of their husbands who are at war or on earnings.
What not to do on March 22
On this day, you can not cut the branches of trees, otherwise the wounds inflicted will not heal soon.
Also, you can’t scold pets and yell at them on this day, otherwise they will completely stop obeying.
Signs of the weather on March 22
There are such signs about the weather on this day:
- A thaw on this day portends a good harvest of millet this year.
- If the stars are not visible at night, it will soon get colder.
- From every corner you can hear the singing of birds – to warming.
- If the swallows have already arrived by this date, then the spring will be warm, and the year will be fruitful.
- If March 22 is warm, then the next 40 days will be warm, and vice versa.
It is important to note that in our time the climate has changed a lot, and not all old signs are relevant to us.