Ancient holiday Guriev Day: Orthodox traditions and folk beliefs on November 28

Every year on November 28, Orthodox believers remember the martyrs Gury, Samon and Aviva, the confessors who suffered for their faith in the first centuries of Christianity. This day coincides with the beginning of the Christmas Fast and is accompanied by special traditions, omens and prohibitions. About how the memory of St. Gury is honored in Orthodoxy and what customs are associated with this day — in the material of Izvestia.

The history and significance of Guryev's Day

On November 28, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the martyrs Gury, Samon and Aviv, Christian confessors who suffered for their faith in the third and fourth centuries. Their lives are connected with the city of Edessa.

In the church tradition, they are revered as examples of steadfastness and fidelity to the Christian confession. The memory of saints in the national calendar merged with agrarian and household ideas: Guryev Day in the national consciousness became a sign of the transition to the steady arrival of winter and the beginning of a special cycle of household prohibitions and rituals.

In the church calendar sense, November 28 coincides with the beginning of the Nativity fast, a period of abstinence and preparation for Christmas.

This calendar format reinforced the religious significance of the day: the commemoration of the martyrs was combined with the requirement of spiritual concentration and physical abstinence, which was reflected in the national norms of behavior.

How do the Orthodox honor the memory of St. Gury

In parish practice, this day is usually celebrated with prayer services and funeral prayers; in churches, the lives of the martyrs are read and the feat of the martyrs is remembered. Believers turn to the saints with petitions for family well—being, for the health of women and for the protection of the hearth - traditional functions that, in the popular imagination, were assigned to Guriy and his associates.

In urban parishes, the service is more often simplified; in villages, it is accompanied by additional local rituals.

Fasting occupies a special place in Orthodox practice: the beginning of the Christmas Fast imposes restrictions on food and daily life.

On this day, it is recommended to refrain from excessive entertainment, scandals and hard physical labor, as well as to strengthen prayer practice — all this is perceived as a way to "purify" the soul before the arrival of the bright holiday.

Folk customs and omens on November 28

The national calendar has accumulated numerous signs related to the weather and the state of the household. The amount of snow predicted what the harvest would be next year.

In some regions, newborns born on this day were given a gift — a measure of oats or a load of hay, as a symbol of safety and well-being.

On this day, they prayed for the health of women and the family hearth. In folk tradition, the day was associated with the exorcism of evil spirits, therefore, with the arrival of cold weather, diseases and evil spirits were expected to decrease. These ideas left their mark on everyday rituals: cleaning the yard, feeding livestock, adding hay.

What not to do on Guriev day

The traditional bans on November 28 were both religious and pragmatic. In the church tradition, the beginning of the Nativity Fast imposed dietary restrictions.

In the early days of lent, it was recommended to abstain from meat, dairy products and eggs, as well as from idle entertainment. In addition to food restrictions, there were also prohibitions on certain types of work and behavior: they did not arrange weddings and loud celebrations, did not swear or engage in heavy physical labor, so as not to disrupt the established rhythm of preparation for Christmas.