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George the Victorious is one of the most revered saints in the Christian world. People called him Yuri, Yegoriy.
On Wednesday, December 9, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the consecration of the Church of St. George in Kiev (1051-1054), which was erected by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in honor of his heavenly patron, George the Victorious.
People called this day Yuryev, as Yuri is one of the forms of the name George. Also in Russia this day was called Cold Egoriy, Cold Yuri, Autumn Egoriy, Winter Egoriy, Georgy the Victorious.
History
George the Victorious (Saint George, George of Cappadocia, George of Lidda) is a great martyr, one of the most revered saints in the Christian world.
According to Byzantine life, Saint George was born in the 3rd century in Cappadocia (modern territory of Turkey). After the death of his father, the family of the future saint moved to Lydda.
Upon entering military service, George became one of the commanders of thousands and the favorite of the Emperor Diocletian.
After the death of his mother, he received a rich inheritance and went to court, hoping to achieve high office. However, when the persecution of the Christians began, George, while in Nicomedia, distributed property to the poor and before the emperor declared himself a Christian. For this he was arrested and tortured.
For seven days, the saint was subjected to various torture, but each time George was miraculously cured. He endured all the torments and did not deny Christ.
Photo: wikipedia.org
The hagiographic icon of St. George
As a result, George was sentenced to death. The night before his execution, in a dream, the Savior appeared to him with a golden crown on his head and told him that paradise awaited him.
The last time Diocletian asked Jorge to renounce Christ, he asked him to take him to the temple of Apollo. There, the martyr covered himself and the statue of Apollo with the sign of the cross, and with this forced the demon that lived in it to declare himself a fallen angel. Then all the idols in the temple were crushed.
During the miracle, the wife of Emperor Alexander threw herself at the feet of the great martyr and converted to the faith. Diocletian, annoyed, ordered to cut off his head as well.
Saint George is buried in the city of Lod (formerly Lydda), in Israel. A temple was built over his grave, which belongs to the Jerusalem Orthodox Church. The head and sword of the saint are kept under the main altar of the Roman basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro.
One of the most famous posthumous miracles of Saint George is the slaying of a serpent with a spear that devastated the land of a pagan king in Berit (present-day Beirut).
As legend has it, when the tsar’s daughter was torn to pieces by the monster, George appeared on horseback and pierced the snake with a spear, saving the princess from death. The appearance of the saint contributed to the conversion of the neighbors to Christianity.
Traditions and rites
George the Victorious is considered the protector of the weak and innocent, patronizing warriors, travelers, farmers, and cattle breeders. They pray to him for victory in any fight, they ask him for a good harvest, for healing, for a good breeding of cattle, for protection from evil and evil spirits.
In the old days, this day was associated with a concept such as a peasant outlet – the right of peasants to pass from one landowner to another, operating in the 11th-17th centuries.
Finally, this right was canceled by the Cathedral Code of 1649, and since then the saying “I toast to you, grandmother, and St. George’s Day”.
People have preserved the tradition of paying off all debts precisely on Saint George’s Day: “Don’t pay the debt until Saint George’s Day; walk with debtors all your life.”
In Yuri, they prepared stands for the winter: they caulked the windows and basements. It was believed that from that day on, wolves began to roam the villages. Also, at this time, the bears should have gone into hibernation, and if suddenly a person came across an animal, it was necessary to escape from it without looking back.
Signs
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On Yuri the cold they went to the wells “to listen to the water.” If no splashing was heard, the winter was expected to be warm. And if the noise was different, it was felt that it was necessary to prepare for severe frosts and snow storms.
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There was a saying: “Yuri will pave and Nikolai (December 19) will block.” This meant that if it was very cold on St. George’s Day, then Nikolai Zimny would suffer real colds.
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If a wolf howls near the house, to the frost.
What not to do on Saint George’s day
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Fight, focus, swear.
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Hunt
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Sit down
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Use combs, hairbrushes, scissors; it is believed that this can damage your hair.
Photo: pixabay.com
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