Saint Demetrius, celebrated on October 26 in the Orthodox calendar. The traditions and customs of Romanians from this day

Saint Demetrius or Saint Demetrius, the Fountain of Myrrh, is celebrated every year on October 26. He was killed on October 26, because he professed the Christian faith and did not want to worship the gods. In popular tradition, Saint Demetrius the Myrrh Fountain is the patron saint of shepherds and the harbinger of winter.

Saint Demetrius lived during the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (286-305). Son of the prefect of Thessalonica, he was appointed, due to his qualities, governor of Thessalonica after his father's death. Later, Emperor Maximian found out that Demetrius was a Christian, which made him very angry. So, returning victorious from a war with the Scythians, Maximian ordered that festivals be held in every city, in honor of the gods. Coming to Thessalonica, the emperor asked Demetrius if what he had heard about him was true, that he gave all his wealth to the poor and that he worshiped God. Dimitrie confessed that he was a Christian and defamed the worship of the gods. The emperor's punishment was maximum: Demetrius was imprisoned and killed with a spear. In the city where he lived, there is today a Church dedicated to Saint Demetrius the Myrrh Fountain.

Traditions, customs and superstitions of Saint Demetrius In popular belief, Saint Demetrius is the harbinger of winter and the patron saint of shepherds. Thus, if St. George closes the winter and leaves the whole nature, St. Demetrius defoliates the forest and dries the plants. It is also said that on Saint Demetrius, the heat enters the earth and the frost begins to show its fangs. This celebration is welcomed every year with feasts, memorials with cakes, but also with live fire games. After the patron saint of Saint Parascheva, Saint Demetrius represents the last and most significant celebration of autumn, which, according to pastoral superstitions, marks the beginning of winter. 

Among the most spectacular customs that take place on the eve of Sâmedru are live fires. On the eve of the holiday, on the night of October 25th, the "Fire of Sâmedru" is held, when people use to light fires in the courtyards or on the hills. According to popular tradition, people who jump over the flames will be healthy the whole year and safe from troubles, misfortunes and diseases. The role of fire is to drive away beasts, and it also has fruitful powers, so that after it is extinguished, people use to throw ashes and coals into the garden. Women use to distribute bagels, nuts, apples, bread, grapes and prunes to everyone to those who jump over the fire. Also, on this day the dead are commemorated and the Sâmedru hut is given as alms, as well as cross-shaped coils. According to tradition, Sâmedru was considered the patron saint of shepherds. To be able to see what the winter will be like that comes, the shepherds used to place their sheepfold on the grass among the sheep, waiting to see which sheep would sit on it. If a black sheep sits down, it means that the winter will be a good one, while if a white sheep lies down , the winter will be fierce. Another way to find out what the winter will be like is to watch the sheep walk on the morning of the feast of St. Demetrius.

If a white sheep wakes up first in the morning and goes south, the winter will be hard; if a black sheep wakes up and goes north, the winter will be mild. In Bucovina, the people who will sow garlic after the feast of St. Dumitru will only suffer damage next year. In the Oltenia region, people believe that only if you respect all the traditions of this holiday will you really be protected from troubles and dangers. The comb should not be used by St. Demetrius. Otherwise, you will attract trouble and danger, according to popular belief. In certain areas, the peasants honor Saint Demetrius, the Fountain of Myrrh, as the one who gave the people the wine, used in communion. The housewives say that the cabbage must be pickled after St. Demetrius' Day so that it is good and lasts all winter. Saint Dumitru is also a day of mourning. It is the day when the covenants concluded between the owners of the sheep and the shepherds on Saint George's day ended, hence the popular expression "at Sân-Gheorghe the dogs are leashed, and at Sâmedru the masters boast". Saint Demetrius the New Basarabov, the protector of Bucharest, celebrated on October 27. One day later, on October 27, Saint Demetrius the New Basarabov, the protector of Bucharest, is honored. The saint was born south of the Danube, in Bulgaria. He lived in the 13th century, during the Vlach-Bulgarian "empire" from Târnovo, founded by the brothers Petru and Asan. Loving the ascetic life, he retired to a cave. It is not known how long he stayed there, nor when he died, but tradition says that before he died, he sat alone between two stone slabs, like in a coffin. His relics were placed in June 1774, in the current Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest. The reliquary with the relics of Venerable Demetrius is taken out, every year, in a procession through the streets of Bucharest and placed in a specially arranged canopy near the Patriarchal Cathedral.