In Russia there are many revered and widely celebrated church holidays. And some of them are closely connected with the people's calendar and ritual tradition. This is explained by the fact that the harvest depended heavily on the weather, at any time of the year. So, the peasants had to prepare in advance for a cold snap or thaw, long rains or drought. And since the meteorological service did not exist then, we had to rely on natural signs. In the absence of the usual calendar, it was easiest to tie them to the "red days" of religious holidays. For example, about what will be the winter, often wondered at the Pokrov - October 14. After all, if the snow is falling on the Pokrov, the sign is often true even in our days. The same can be said about rain, fog or wind direction. We also watched how much snow fell, how quickly it melted, etc. And all these observations the Russian people attached special importance.
What does it mean if the snow fell on the Pokrov?
The very name of the holiday in the folk tradition was associated with natural phenomena. According to the church canon, its name should be longer: the feast of the Protection of the Most-holy Lady of Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary. It was celebrated in honor of the appearance of the Mother of God in the Constantinople church in the 10th century AD, when she spread her veil over the parishioners and with them she prayed for peace. The Russian people in many respects believed that the Pokrov was named so because on that day the snow covered the earth. It was said that this Mother of God threw her cover. It's no wonder that the snow was always waiting for Pokrov, because then the autumn will end and the frosts will come very soon. They judged what winter would be like: if it snows on the Pokrov - winter will be early and snowy, it will come in November. But if it rained on October 14, then snowdrifts will have to wait a long time, at least until the beginning of December. The same was true of dry sunny weather at Pokrov.
Noticed and how was the wind on this day: a thorny snowfall with a sharp north wind - to a cold winter, wet snow flakes with a soft southern wind - to warm. We carefully watched the thickness of the snow cover: if there was a lot of snow and it lay a dense layer long after the holiday, we should wait for a snowy winter. And this was a very good sign for the peasants, because it meant that in the spring there would be a lot of thawed water, winter and spring will get a lot of moisture, the harvest will be rich. But if the earth only slightly priporoshivalo, the winter promised to be snowless, and therefore, the hopes for a good harvest could not be justified.
If the snow fell before the Intercession?
Much has been said about the sign associated with the early first snow. If the snowfall happened before October 14, but then everything melted, then the winter will delay its arrival, perhaps for a long time. And if the snow is already firmly on the Pokrov, it means that later it will be spring. Most likely, the thawing of snow in this year can be expected only in late February, and even later.
Other folk signs about the snow on the Pokrov
Some snowy signs on October 14 were associated not only with agriculture, but also with the household sphere. For example, it was considered before the snow on the Pokrov, it is necessary to warm the house, so as not to freeze afterwards throughout the winter. And people believed that if the snow falls on the Pokrov, the sign says that this year there will be many weddings. And this is really so, because according to another method marriage to the snow cover - to a happy family life. That's tried to young to play a wedding on this day and certainly when there is a heavy snowfall in the street. However, the tradition has survived to this day, even today many couples do so.