Today, the holy apostle Philip: If you do just one of these four things, you will ward off evil

church in Palestine, Photo: Tanjug / AP

This holiday is also significant because on this day there are carnivals before the Christmas fast, which is why it is sometimes called the Philip Fast.

The Holy Apostle Philip was born in Bethsaida near the Sea of ​​Galilee. He zealously preached the Gospel in Asia and Greece, where the Jews wanted to kill him, but God saved him with powerful miracles. Thus, the Jewish bishop, who rushed to beat Philip, suddenly went blind and blackened.

He died at the age of 86 by being crucified on a tree by pagans and Bartholomew. People ran to take them off, but they only managed to save Bartholomew, while Philip died.

The relics of Saint Philip were later transferred to Rome.

According to ancient popular belief, on this day you should prepare a rich dinner and rejoice with your family.

That is to say, the celebration of Christmas is preceded by a great Christmas fast that lasts 40 days, but is preceded by carnivals or Christmas parties. They abound in various popular customs.

Carnival is considered to be a day of forgiveness and joy, so parades of masked actors are organized, visiting the settlements with noise and music and performing various tricks.

In that way, they fight against the forces of evil and witches, who are believed to have a greater influence during carnival.

Different customs are associated with this day, which depends from one extreme to another. Somewhere after dinner, all the chains in the house are tied, the shells of the eaten eggs are thrown into the fire, the plants are rubbed with garlic, and the children put on their pajamas and T-shirt turned up before going to bed.

There is a belief that at night the soles of the feet should be rubbed with garlic and the following words should be pronounced: “A witch like a thread, my teeth like a stake.”