Old Style Date: September 20. On this day, the memory of the Great Martyr Eustathius of Rome is celebrated. Serving as a military commander under the emperors Titus and Trajan, Eustathius decided to convert to Christianity after seeing the image of the crucified Savior between the antlers of a stag during a hunt. Together with him, his wife Theopistia and their two sons were also baptized. Eustathius faced a difficult fate: his servants died, his livestock perished, and he was separated from his wife and children. After enduring these trials without complaint, he reunited with his family, and later, Emperor Trajan appointed him as a military commander. During the reign of the next emperor, Hadrian, who organized a grand pagan festival, Eustathius refused to offer sacrifices to the idols. Angered, the emperor sentenced the Christian and his family to a martyr’s death. In Russia, Saint Eustathius (popularly referred to as Astafy) was called the Windmill, and this day was known as Astafy’s Winds. “The windmill blows everywhere,” people would say. Depending on which direction the wind blew, they would predict the weather: if from the north — it signaled cold, from the south — warmth, from the west — rain, and from the east — clear days. The southern wind also promised a good harvest of winter crops. Other signs were also observed: if the day was warm and spider silk floated in the air, snow would not fall soon. But if pinecones grew low on the fir trees, early frosts were expected. On Astafy the Windmill, millers working at windmills celebrated their holiday. Bread transportation by water also began while the wind still filled the sails and the rivers were not yet covered with ice. Sometimes on this day, late cabbage, which was left specifically for this occasion, was harvested — the heads of cabbage, touched by frost, acquired a special taste. Name Days on this Day: Alexander, Vasily, Ivan, Hilarion, Mikhail, Oleg, Tatyana, Feodor.