Folk signs October 15 – take a sober look at life

October 15 in the folk calendar – Cyprian and Ustinya. It was believed that on this day demons zealously attack people, especially drunkards and swear words. Our ancestors, trying to get rid of obsessions and evil spirits, prayed more earnestly: men – to Cyprian, and women – to Ustinya.

On Cyprian and Ustinya, any alcoholic beverages were banned. In Russia, they believed that demons could appear to a drunk person on this day in their true form. In addition, they were afraid to let strangers and other people’s pets into the house – their appearance could be taken by evil spirits. Children were especially protected from evil spirits – they tried not to leave them alone even for a minute. They did not wear bright clothes and shiny things that day – so as not to attract the eyes of a witch, a sorcerer or an evil person who could jinx them.

Business people did not conduct transactions on October 15, especially with strangers. Long-distance trips were postponed – the journey started that day promised delays and troubles. They believed that it was impossible to keep large sums with you – you could lose them. And the hasty decisions made on Cyprian and Ustinya were most often erroneous.

There was also a belief: if a dog howled at the moon that day, it means that evil spirits started up in the house. To get rid of it, they performed a special rite of purification and sprinkled all the corners of the house with holy water.

Natural signs on October 15 are as follows:

– if it rains heavily and a cold wind blows – to a frosty winter;

– if the sky is clear, frost will soon hit;

– strong leaf fall – to an early cooling;

– if the snow did not fall that day, there will be no snowfall until December 7th.

A dream that occurred on the night of October 15 often warns of upcoming events and may come true on the third day.

Alena Bodrienko.

In the photo – a frame from the film “Viy” (“Mosfilm”, 1967)