On October 26, Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the miraculous Iver Icon of the Mother of God. The image depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant. It is called Iver because it is located in Greece at the Iver Monastery.
On this day, Christians also remember the martyr Carp, Bishop of Thyatira, Deacon Papila, his sister Agathonika, and the martyr Agafodor.
Carp lived in Asia Minor and served as a bishop; his sermons converted many pagans to Christianity. Not everyone was pleased that the clergyman was gathering so many people around him, and he was reported by envious individuals. Carp and his friend and assistant, Deacon Papila, were captured by the governor's order, and the men were cruelly tortured, but they did not renounce their faith.
The martyrs were tied to horses and dragged from one city to another, a bear was unleashed on them, and the priests endured many other tortures. Throughout this time, Agathonika and Agafodor followed them. The lives of all four were cut short; Agafodor was beaten to death, while Carp, Papila, and Agathonika were beheaded.
On this day, peasants cleaned the bathhouse, steaming herbs in the steam room, thereby driving away the evil spirit — the bath attendant. People believed that a small evil old man with a moldy beard lived in every bathhouse, and he could cause a lot of trouble for those who were bathing. The least he could do was to douse them with boiling water. To appease this bathhouse inhabitant, they would leave him offerings: a piece of soap, water in a tub, and a broom.
Weather Signs
Clouds move quickly — bad weather is expected. The sun hides behind the clouds — the weather will change. The sky is red — it will rain. Roosters crow too early — it will get warmer.
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