Folk signs for September 17: what can and cannot be done

In Russia, omens have been given special importance since ancient times. They were used to judge the weather, when to sow and harvest, and what to expect in the future. Therefore, every day of the national calendar was full of rituals and superstitions. Izvestia tells about the popular signs of Wednesday, September 17th, and which church holidays are celebrated on this day.

Folk signs for September 17, 2025

In Russia, Vavila Day, or Lukov Day, was celebrated on September 17. The holiday marked the end of agricultural work and the harvest of onions. In the villages, gardening tools were removed and the end of the season was celebrated with a lavish feast. The housewives baked onion pies and other treats. Onions were added to almost all dishes, which promised well-being and health for the whole year.

Onions were used not only for food, but also as a talisman, they were hung around the house to protect against evil spirits and diseases. In the corner, and if someone was sick, by the bed, they hung a separate onion. Often, the bulbs were pierced with needles to better clean the space. Then, after a while, they were sprinkled with salt and thrown into the river away from the house.

Many folk traditions and superstitions were associated with this autumn vegetable. In the old days, there was a belief that if you drop an onion from your hands while cooking, guests will soon appear in the house. Keeping a sliced onion in the house was considered a bad omen — it promised quarrels between loved ones. And if you drop an onion under the feet of the newlyweds, then the spouses will live happily.

Other signs of the day:

• if the lovers eat an onion pie together, their feelings will increase.;
• If you take a raw onion with you, it will protect you from snakes.;
• If you burn the onion peel and make a wish, it will come true.;
• if you put an onion under your pillow, your betrothed will appear in a dream.;
• If you leave a sliced onion at the head of the bed, you won't have nightmares at night.;
• the beetle hides under the foliage or burrows into the ground — the cold weather is approaching;
• the spruce tree makes noise and shakes its branches — in bad weather;
• ripples appeared on the reservoirs in the absence of wind, leading to a change in the weather.

What not to do on September 17th

On Luke's Day, there were also a number of strict prohibitions. For example, it was forbidden to bring onions from someone else's house. Our ancestors believed that in a place with him you can bring someone else's tears. Onion husks were not thrown on the floor or the ground after cooking, so as not to "throw away" their well—being with it - more often the husks were burned in the oven. The onion, peeled in the evening, could not be eaten the next day, as it had already absorbed all the negativity.

The strongest bedtime prayer is the main evening prayer before going to bed

How to read text and why it is needed

What else can't be done on September 17th:

• sleeping during the day leads to exhaustion and illness;
• giving something in debt leads to money problems in the family;
• Making bonfires is a way to "attract" lightning.;
• Bragging about your wealth runs the risk of incurring poverty.;
• quarreling with loved ones — the conflict can drag on for a long time.;
• Wearing dark clothes can get you into trouble.;
• To look into the eyes of beggars and beggars is to accept their difficulties.

What is the church holiday on September 17th?

On September 17, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Martyr Vavila, Bishop of Antioch, who lived in Antioch in the territory of modern Turkey in the third century. According to the hagiography, during a pagan holiday, the bishop blocked the path of the pagan ruler when he intended to enter the temple during the liturgy, which was considered a desecration of a religious building. Babylon was put in chains and led around the city, forced to worship idols. Seeing the martyr's inflexibility, he and his closest disciples were sentenced to death. For Christians, his spiritual feat became the epitome of perseverance and devotion to the faith.

On the same date, believers venerate the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "The Burning Bush", an iconographic image known since the early centuries of Christianity. The icon depicts the Virgin and child of Christ, enclosed in an eight-pointed star, which, in turn, is formed by two diamonds of green and red colors. The image symbolically reflects the Old Testament tradition about the miraculous appearance of the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. One day, while tending sheep, Moses saw a thorn bush engulfed in flames, but not burning down. Thus, God appeared to him to call upon the prophet to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.

In Christianity, the Burning Bush became the prototype of the Mother of God, symbolizing the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that the icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke. This image was well known and revered in Russia. The Burning Bush was popularly called a guardian against fires, lightning and other natural disasters.

Celebration in honor of the icon "Burning Bush": what not to do, folk signs

All about the feast of the Burning Bush icon on September 17: traditions, prohibitions, meaning and folk signs for believers

Prayers on September 17th

Saint Babylon of Antioch is asked for the gift of spiritual courage and perseverance in trials. In front of the icon of the Burning Bush, they pray for health, restoration of mental balance, deliverance from passions, vicious thoughts and painful attachments. They also ask the Mother of God for help in fighting injustice, protecting them from fires, and restoring family ties.

Prayer to Babylon of Antioch

Troparion, glas 4

"When you were a communicant of the spirit and a vicar of the throne as an apostle, you found an act inspired by God, in the ascension of a vision: for this, correcting the word of truth, and for the sake of faith, you suffered even to the point of blood, Holy Martyr Babilo, pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved."

Kontakion, glas 8

"For the confirmation of the piety of the preacher and the sufferers, the Church glorifies thee, O glorious Babylon, and is illuminated today; but, having boldness to the Lord, who magnifies and praises thee in the perfect world, let us pray to Christ, O long-suffering one."

Prayer in front of the icon "Burning Bush"

"O Most Holy and Most Blessed Mother of our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, we bow down and worship You before Your holy and most honorable icon, whose wondrous and most glorious miracles you have performed, saving our homes from the fiery blaze and lightning-like thunder, healing our ailments, and fulfilling every good request for good. We humbly beseech You, O all-powerful Intercessor of our race: grant us, the weak and sinful, Your maternal concern and guidance. Save and preserve, O Lady <...>, those who fall down to You with faith and love, and tenderly ask with tears for Your intercession. To Her, O All-merciful Lady, have mercy on us, who are overwhelmed by many sins and do not have the boldness to ask Christ the Lord for mercy and forgiveness, but we offer You our supplication <...> In the hour of God's terrible visitation, when our houses are set on fire or we are terrified by lightning, show us Your merciful intercession and May we be saved by Your all-powerful prayers to the Lord, may we escape the temporal punishment of God, and may we inherit the eternal bliss of paradise there: and with all the saints, let us sing the most honorable and magnificent name of the worshipped Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and Your great mercy to us, forever and ever. Amen to that."

Earlier, Izvestia told what they pray to the holy Martyr Domna of Nicomedia.