Vadim the Keybearer: How to Preserve Health and Wealth on April 22 0 15

On April 22, Orthodox believers remember the holy martyr Vadim, who lived in Persia in the 4th century. In his youth, coming from a pious family and receiving a good education, he distributed part of his inheritance to the poor and retreated to the desert, where he spent much time in fasting and prayer. With his own means, he built a monastery, which soon became a place of attraction for Christians.

This was during the reign of the cruel king Shapur, who persecuted followers of the faith. Upon learning about Vadim and his life in the monastery, Shapur ordered his arrest. Together with seven disciples, he was imprisoned, where he was subjected to brutal torture. However, they could not break the spirit of Vadim the Persian, and he was beheaded.

This execution was carried out by one of the disciples of the great martyr, who renounced Christianity. However, unable to bear the guilt of betrayal, he soon took his own life by throwing himself on his sword.

Even after his death, Vadim the Persian continued to serve Jesus Christ, and many pagans, learning of his feat, accepted baptism.

Vadim the Keybearer: Folk Calendar

In the folk tradition, the holiday dedicated to the holy martyr Vadim the Persian is called Vadim the Keybearer. This name is associated with the fact that by mid-April, the ground begins to thaw, and people start going to springs for water.

Before drawing water for the home, the underground springs were to be thoroughly cleaned. “Underground water, we unlock your spring paths,” people would say while cleansing the springs.

Our ancestors believed that Saint Vadim possessed a bundle of keys, with which he opens the springs that were locked for the winter.

It was believed that water collected on April 22 (April 9 in the old style) has special healing properties: it heals and strengthens the spirit. On this day, the water was drunk and used for washing.

There was a belief that the road to the spring should be traveled in silence. Approaching the spring, people first prayed to all four sides, and then, thinking of a specific person suffering from an illness, would ask the question: alive or dead? If the person was destined to recover and live long, the water in the spring remained clear. If fate decided otherwise, the spring would begin to bubble violently.

Vadim the Keybearer: Folk Signs

Our ancestors knew: if the weather on Vadim the Keybearer has not yet stabilized, the summer will be dry. If by this time dandelions have bloomed, it means that spring has fully taken hold.

If the day is windy or foggy, the year will be bountiful. If blue clouds are drifting across the sky, the weather will be rainy but warm. If a lot of birch sap can be collected in the forest on this day, the summer will be cold and rainy.

Vadim the Keybearer: What Not to Do

The folk holiday named after Vadim the Keybearer has many prohibitions. People who believed in them thought that on this day one should not sleep too long, so as not to miss their happiness. Elders also forbade:

Cutting hair — it could attract trouble and shorten one’s life.
Lying, spreading gossip and falsehoods — one will suffer from it themselves.
Using a broom during cleaning — there is a risk of sweeping away prosperity and luck from the home.
Using someone else's towels — it means taking on someone else's tears.
Wearing someone else's things and jewelry — it will change one’s life for the worse.
Loaning money after sunset — it will take a long time to return them.
Covering the table with a tablecloth with holes during meals — it leads to poverty.

On Vadim the Keybearer, it was forbidden for two people to look in the mirror at the same time. It was believed that after this, one person's life would turn out well, while the other would suffer. Unmarried girls were not allowed to sit on the windowsill, otherwise it would be difficult to find suitors later.