On October 20, the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Sergius of Nurma (mid-14th century).
The saint took monastic vows on the holy Mount Athos, and after arriving from Greece, he settled for a long time in the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh. He then received a blessing and became a hermit in the dense forest of Vologda near the river Nurma. There he founded a chapel, where he spent time in prayer. Soon, other monks began to gather around the saint, and thus the Nurma Monastery was established.
Sergius passed away in old age, having overcome a terrible illness. The brothers buried him near the church he had built. After some time, miracles began to occur at his grave.
October 20 is called Sergey the Winter or Sergius Day. On this day, there were many different customs among the peasants. For example, before sitting down to breakfast themselves, they had to feed the livestock. To ensure warmth in the house during winter, the youngest member of the family would stoke the stove on this day.
People knew an interesting method for storing pickled cucumbers. Barrels with cucumbers and brine were lowered to the bottom of a body of water, which would soon be covered with ice. This way, the cucumbers could be stored all winter and become a real delicacy on the table in spring.
Weather Signs
A sunny day means good weather will last for another three weeks. A dim moon indicates frost will come soon.
