People turned to Mary of Egypt for protection from the evil eye. Among the common folk this day was like our April 1 (by the old style it actually was) – you could make merry, joke, and play pranks on others. Unmarried girls tried especially hard, believing that the more people you pranked, the better your husband would be. As for «empty cabbage soup» – that is because by April only memories remained of the cabbage harvest, and therefore of hearty cabbage soup.
What you can and cannot do on April 14
- You may buy clothes and footwear — the items will last a long time.
- You should wash the front door, otherwise evil spirits will get into the house.
- Girls and women must not leave the door open, or their husband will stray.
- It is forbidden to kill spiders – prosperity will leave the house.
- It is not recommended to wash, clean, sweep, or do laundry – during Holy Week this had to be done before Friday. The table is also modest.
- Pregnant women should not eat eggs – this leads to a difficult labor and a fussy child.
- Cutting bread with a knife — means a quarrel with a friend.
- It is forbidden to boast, or a string of failures will begin.
- You should bring a candle home from church and light it next to the icons, so that the whole family stays healthy for the year.
Weather omens for April 14
- If thunder rumbles dully and rollingly – the weather will be sunny and warm in the coming days.
- Lightning without thunder – means a dry summer, and a thunderstorm – means a droughty one.
- High water on Marya's day means there will be a lot of grass.
- Lightning at sunset – means rain soon.
- Grayish-blue clouds – mean warm but rainy weather.
- If no stars are visible at night – it will get warmer.
- If the ice melts quickly – the year will be good; if it lingers long on the bodies of water – times will be hard.
