On December 2, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the righteous prophet Obadiah. The Prophet helped Christians to hide from persecution, for which he was called the people Abdey the Guardian. The saint is considered the protector of the home and the patron saint of the hearth.
On December 2, they predict what the weather will be like for the winter. It is believed that on this day evil spirits walk around the yards, and according to tradition, the peasants expel it not only with the signs of the cross, but also with special rituals, conspiracies and charms.
On this day, they honor the memory of a person who, during his lifetime, bears the name of the Servant of the Lord. Obadiah lived at a time of Jewish persecution and criticism of the Christian faith. Secretly, he worshiped and honored God, adhered to a righteous life and helped the adherents of the above, who suffered in the name of Orthodoxy at the hands of the tsar. For serving God and helping believers, the Almighty gave Obadiah the gift of prophecy.
Customs
Since ancient times, Russian peasants have believed in evil spirits – mermaids, brownies, goblin and demons. They say that on December 2, evil spirits go to houses, and climb into empty dishes to get inside a person along with food.
On this day, the peasants drive out evil spirits from the house with thistles, garlic, holy water and the signs of the cross. It is believed that evil spirits can acquire any appearance of a cattle or a person, therefore, on this day, strangers are not allowed into the yard and the cattle are not allowed to walk.
To drive the evil spirits out of their yard, each owner must take an ax and knock it with a butt on the door frames to scare away the evil spirits trying to hide from the cold in the cracks of the house. Instead of an ax, any sharp object – a sickle, scythe, or a knife – is suitable for scaring away. These items are also considered powerful charms against devilish servants.
- To protect a pregnant woman or baby from harm and damage, a sharp object is placed near the bed on which they sleep.
- Shepherds walk around the herd several times with a sharp object to scare away the evil spirit from the cattle.
- If there is a deceased in the house, the toro is placed under the bench where the body lies. People believe that the ritual will save the family of the deceased from an evil spirit who has come to lure the soul of the deceased into its nets.
- It is believed that if a drowning person shouts the word 'ax', the water one will be frightened and let him go to dry land.
- Since ancient times, there has been a custom – to chase away clouds with an ax during hail. To do this, they go out into the street and wave their instrument in the air, raising their hands to the sky.
On this day, garlic, onions and herbs (thistle, weeping grass and Adam's head) are hung in the house. It is believed that the unclean is afraid of the smell and will not enter the house.
On December 2, the peasants try not to go outside, because they were afraid to bring a disease from the street into the house. On December 2, conspiracies are read to pacify weather conditions.
Signs
Signs for December 2 indicate weather conditions for the winter and future harvest.
- it is snowing and a strong wind is blowing – there will be a cold winter and late spring;
- a lot of snow – signs promise a good harvest in the fall;
- a sharp change in the wind from the south-east direction to the south-west direction – to snowfall and cold;
- according to folk omens, if a squirrel in the forest sheds from head to tail – it will be warm in winter, from tail to head – winter will be fierce;
- clear sky in the morning – expect severe frosts;
- gloomy weather during the day – signs promise warming;
- in the evening the sky turns red – by snowfall;
- by signs, if a cow butts, expect a blizzard;
- the birds flew away early to warm regions – to the imminent onset of cold weather;
- according to the signs, what is the weather on December 2 – this will be the weather for the upcoming haymaking;
- the wind quickly changes direction – the weather will soon change for the worse.
Interpretation of dreams December 2
People who dreamed on the night of December 2 consider dreams to be prophetic. They show the future that the dreamer can influence.
- you wash something in a dream – in reality, a difficult life situation will be resolved safely;
- to see the sea and ships – good luck awaits in business;
- if you dream of a quarrel with a loved one on December 2, in reality the conflict will be peacefully resolved;
- to see or feel an illness – to the malaise of one of the relatives;
see death in a dream – wait for news of the recovery of a loved one; - swim in the sea – small financial costs are possible;
being in clean water is good news; - cleaning clothes – getting out of trouble;
- sculpt something with your hands in a dream – expect a fateful meeting;
- seeing shoe accessories is a good and profitable job.
Talismans
The talisman of this day is the amethyst stone. The stone takes negative energy from its owner and accumulates it in itself.
It is believed that before a strong misfortune, amethyst can crack, thereby taking away the negative energy that threatens the owner. To remove the negative aura from the stone, immerse the cracked amethyst in water. It is impossible to take it back, the amulet has fulfilled its mission and will give energy to the water.
Prayers
In order to protect the family from the influence of an evil spirit, in the morning the owner of the house reads the apocrypha 'Dream of the Mother of God' three times before the threshold.
