Sânzienele or Saint John of Summer: traditions and customs. What is good to do on this day?

On June 24, Orthodox, Catholic and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrate the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, the prophet who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. This celebration is recorded in popular culture as Sânzienele or Drăgaica. In the Republic of Moldova, people celebrate Christian religious holidays in the old style. On the 7th of July is the feast of the Sânzâiens according to the old rite.

Considered the Forerunner of God, Saint John the Baptist is the last prophet of the Old Testament, but also the one who made the connection with the New Testament. Saint John the Baptist was born in the village of Ein-Kerem (near Jerusalem); he is the son of Elizabeth (cousin of Mary, Mother of God) and priest Zacharias.

Saint John the Baptist began his missionary activity in AD 26, the first year of Pontius Pilate's rule. Saint John preached the Kingdom of Heaven and performed the "baptism of repentance" to those who came to him and confessed their sins.

Every year, on June 24, the Christian world celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, a great exception made in the case of him and the Mother of God, as saints and martyrs are commemorated on the day of their death, considered to be the day of their birth for the Kingdom of Heaven .

The Popular Calendar records the celebration of Sânziene or Drăgaica - the biggest and most spectacular pagan celebration of the year

Some researchers claim that the celebration of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, on June 24, was instituted to replace the pagan celebrations of the summer solstice (June 22-23).

In the popular calendar, June 24 is known as Sânziene or Dragaica. The Sânzienele have their origin in an ancient solar cult, being considered beautiful women, true priestesses of the sun, nocturnal divinities hidden in the dark forests, untouched by man.

Unlike Pentecost, which are fantasy representations that bring evil, the Sânzienele are good fairies. But they can also become harmful, they can stir up storms and bring hail, leaving the field without fruit and the flowers without a cure.

On the morning of Sânziene, before sunrise, people gathered bouquets of Sânziene, which they braided into wreaths and threw them on the roofs of the houses. It was believed that the man would live long if the crown remained on the house or, on the contrary, that he would die quickly, when the crown slid towards the edge of the roof or fell.

The girls collected Sânziene flowers to put under their pillow, the night before the holiday, in the belief that they would dream of their bear. The Sânzienel festival was also considered the optimal time for gathering medicinal plants.