According to Orthodox traditions on August 2, it is customary to celebrate a holiday dedicated to Elijah the prophet. This holy man from ancient times is considered the most strict, but at the same time fair. He has the ability to control rain, thunder and lightning. There are different rites and rituals for the day of Ilya, the relevance of which has been preserved to this day. They have arisen because of many years of tradition and observance of people. Today everyone has the right to decide for himself whether it is worth observing them or not.
Rites and traditions on the day of Elijah
In order to place a saint to oneself, people from ancient times have tried to cajole him in all sorts of ways. For example, for the window it was customary to exhibit bread, salt and other treats. In the evening, the food had to be thrown into the nearest pond. Not only were people afraid of Ilya's anger, but also various evil spirits who, trying to hide from him, turned around in various animals. Still impure force tried to attack people who do not wear crosses. To protect yourself, you can perform a ritual on the day of Elijah, for which you should light a church candle before sunrise. After that, cross yourself and say three times to such a conspiracy:
"Holy Elijah, I lift my eyes and I pray you: save me from the tricks of the unclean, from the wiles of the damned. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen".
In addition, the evil spirits could enter the house and then Ilya launched lightning bolts directly into people's homes. To protect against this, during a thunderstorm, it is decided to close doors and windows tightly, and also to hang mirrors and all shiny objects. Candles lit candles near the icons and read such a plot:
"Holy, holy, holy! Ilya the prophet, save the thunder from the thunder, from the arrow of the volatile. Amen".
Since ancient times people spent on the day of Ilia not only ceremonies, but also took into account different signs . The most famous of them says that you can not swim on August 2, because the water is already hot and the mermaids can be pulled under the water. If it was raining on that day, then you could expect a good harvest of rye next year. The dry weather on the day of Ilya indicated that it would be hot for another six weeks. It's impossible to work on this day, because you can soak up trouble on yourself. Strong thunder and lightning on August 2 predicts a snowy and cold winter.