March 30: Saint Pious Alexie, the Man of God. Customs and beliefs

Even today, in some villages in the Ungheni district, popular customs related to „Teple Alexa” are preserved, as it is still called in our day of Saint Alexie. According to tradition, on March 30, St. Alexius, the patron saint of hibernating creatures, reopens the Earth to free the creatures that have awakened from hibernation and warm it for the good of all.

Saint Alexie is also considered the master of snakes, therefore March 30 is also called Snake Day. On this day, in the morning, until the sun rises, the villagers usually rake and light fires in gardens and orchards, so it is believed that the orchard will be guarded by insects and people by snake bites. It is believed that if you see a snake on this day, you should not kill it, because you can get a plague in a year. It is also said that if St. Alexie starts to sing the frogs, warm weather will follow. From this day the bees begin to come out of the hive. Also on this day they try to fish, even if the weather is bad, they still go fishing, at least to soak the fishing rod in the pond, because it is believed that you will be lucky to fish all year round. (Informants: Maria Dereş, Grăseni village; Lidia Bernic, 73 years old, Petreşti village; Parascovia Alcaz, 76 years old, Cetireni village). 

In the village of Todirești on this day, households usually wake up in the morning until sunrise to rake the gardens, sweep the yards and set the garbage on fire, so it is believed that the yard will be guarded by insects and people and animals from disease. In families where there are children, they jump over the fire in the sign of the cross so that they are not bitten by insects all year round.

Also on this day, the housewives take out the dowry and spread it in the sun so that it is not eaten by moths. (Veronica Bîrzoi, 72 years old, Todireşti village)

And in the village of Rădenii Vechi by „Teple Alexa”, at dawn, people were sweeping and raking the yards, orchards and gardens, and the garbage was set on fire. The fires were made in the middle of the garden or orchard. If „Teple Alexa” was expected to rain, then the households would sweep and rake the yards, orchards and gardens on the eve, and the garbage would be placed under a roof, so as not to be watered.

It is also said that on the day of „Teple Alexa” nothing is sown and not planted, the plants, over the summer, can be eaten (cut) by meatballs.

Women on this day did not work, especially they were not allowed to wash clothes, bake bread, spin, hang threads and especially to use needles and scissors so that the bugs would not come into the house and would not have any scales over them. summer. (Informant: Anastasia Creţu, 67 years old, Rădenii Vechi village). And in Mănoileşti they do not work with tail tools such as rakes, hoes, etc. it is kept so that the snakes do not appear in the household or it is also said that, all summer, you will see snakes.

There is no service at the church (Parfeni Eufimia, Vulpești village, 77 years old; Moraru Lidia, Mănoilești village, 73 years old; Bobeico Vera, Vulpești village, 86 years old).

The article was written by Marina Bulgar for the district newspaper, Unghiul.