The saints MIHAIL and GAVRIL - Legends, customs and superstitions

The saints MIHAIL AND GAVRIL - LEGENDS, CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS

LEGENDS

On the 8th of November, the entire council of angels is honored, together with the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The day of November 8 began to be celebrated in the Church as a feast of angels, in the fifth century and quickly spread throughout the Christian East. Speaking about angels, the Church teaches us that they are ministering spirits, faithful servants of God, sent by Him to be friends and protectors of people.

The Holy Archangels are the first mediating angels between God and us humans. In the popular Romanian tradition, the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel are omnipresent divine beings in people's lives, watching over the mortals from the heavens and, above all, from the earth, burning their minor sins, making sure that their souls are cleansed of their mistakes with the occasion of fasting and praying to God for them.

Saint Michael the Archangel whose name means in Hebrew "Who is like God?" is the one who fought with the evil angels. In the beginning all the angels were good and wise. After the test to which God subjected them, before the Creation of the World, a part of them, i.e. those led by Lucifer, rebelled. Then, says the Scripture, there was great war in heaven. Michael and the good angels won, and the bad ones were thrown out of heaven, becoming demons.

Saint Michael is traditionally seen as a warrior angel, always in battle with devils. After the devils fell from the heavens into the impenetrable darkness of hell, for three days, Archangel Michael raised his right hand and blessed that each devil would remain in the place where he was surprised by the blessing. In this way the devils were confined to the places where they were then, in the bowels of the earth, on the earth, in the waters, or in the air

Archangel Michael is said to be in Heaven only on Good Friday and Easter, the rest of the time being on a mission on earth.

In the popular legends it is said that God gave Saint Michael to carry the sun and the moon, he being the one who lets the sun go up in the sky in summer and under whose hand are all the living things and people, both the living and the dead. In other legends, Saint Michael is the one who has the keys to hell from which the frost gradually loosens, says ethnologist Ania Moldoveanu.

Saint Michael is the direct protector of the monks, of the Christian armies, of the governors, who carried the icon of the Great Archangel with them on the battlefield. Saint Michael the Archangel, Defender of the Faith, is the most invoked in church services to guard against war, as well as to obtain victory in the event of a fight. He is depicted in iconography holding a fiery sword and has the mission of guarding the Law of God and defeating the enemies.

The Holy Archangel Gabriel, whose name means in Hebrew, "man - God", a name that contains the news that God will become a man and assume human nature, "announced the Birth of the Lord and of Saint John the Baptist, interpreted visions of the prophet Daniel, announced the birth of the Virgin Mary and nourished the Most Holy Theotokos in the Holy of Holies. It is assumed that he also rolled the stone from the Savior's tomb announcing the Resurrection of the Lord to the fragrant women.'' (Deacon George Aniculoaie)

Archangel Gabriel was the guardian angel of Jesus Christ on earth, he is the one who announced the birth of the Lord to all mankind, being associated with divine revelation, but also with mercy and mercy. He is the archangel - messenger, the one through whom the divinity transmits news and messages to humanity, but also the one who patronizes Paradise. He transmits to people, through divine grace, inspiration, intuition and the grace of clairvoyance.

Saint Gabriel is, above all, the protector of Christian virgins, of the Christian family, the protector of mothers who give birth to children, as well as the protector of children and nuns who love virginity and love Christ.

As gratitude for these two angels, the Orthodox Church ordered that they be painted on two of the doors of the Holy Altar. One with lilies in his hand, a sign of good news, and the other with a flaming sword, a sign of the guard assigned to him at the gate of Eden.

The feast of Saints Michael and Gabriel is an anniversary occasion for 1.3 million Romanians. Beyond a glass of wine served at the table with loved ones, the celebration has deep religious meanings to which, of course, popular beliefs are added.

CUSTOMS

On the Saturday before the day of Saints Michael and Gabriel, holidays are held to commemorate the dead, and the Finns go to their godparents with cakes.

The 8th of November is also called the "Surge of the Arrests" or the "Summer of the Archangels" which lasts only one day.

Where does the first name come from? From the shepherds' habit of mixing the rams (aretes with sheep on this day; the rams "pounce" on the sheep for mating, hence the name "aretes rush").

Besides the "Summer of the Archangels" there are still 3-4 warmer days, somewhere between November 8 and December 25, called "winter summer.

Superstitious

In the people, it is said about the Archangel Michael that he has power over the Sun and the Moon, which he frees from the power of the devils, when they steal them (eclipse).

Also, it is said that he has power over Scaraoţchi's wife, Mamareaua, who wants to let go of the frost, on the earth, suddenly; Archangel Michael holds it and lets the frost go slowly, so that people get used to it.

In the same way it is said that it stands at the head of the man who is dying to lead his soul to Heaven; or at the man's feet if he will get well.

Superstition says that if you make a cake and throw it among the sheep at the "rush of the aretes" and the cake falls face up, you will have many and healthy lambs.

On the day of Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel, it is good to light a candle to have "light" on the other world; it is also good to light for the dead without a candle, the suicides or the condemned.

Superstition says that those who work on this day will suffer long before death.