Date in the old style: June 14. The Jewish prophet Elisha (known in Russian tradition as Elisei) was the son of a wealthy plowman. According to legend, the prophet Elijah called him and made him his assistant. After the death of his teacher, Elisha became a prophet himself. He did this for 65 years, during the reign of six Israeli kings, telling the rulers the whole truth, condemning wickedness and idolatry. Elisha died in old age, around 100 years old. Many miracles were attributed to the prophet: healing the sick and resurrecting the dead, multiplying oil and grain. At the same time, Elisha is often depicted as a harsh and even cruel person. For example, once he cursed small children just because they mocked him; two she-bears came out of the forest and tore the mockers apart. In Russia, people continued to sow buckwheat on Elisha's day. This was usually done in clear and dry weather. "If there's dust on the harrow, there will be a pancake on the sieve," the peasants said. Buckwheat was an extremely important crop for the Russian people. There were even special proverbs and sayings about it: "Buckwheat porridge is our mother, and rye bread is our father." Although buckwheat was sown in dry fields, rain was needed after sowing to help the seeds germinate quickly. To achieve this, people would cast spells on nettles, asking them to sting the heavens so that a downpour would follow. However, they only expected rain the next day: if it started raining on Elisha's day, it foretold another seven weeks of wet weather. On this day, it was also customary to bless new clothes to ensure they did not bring misfortune to their owner. The same was done with second-hand clothes received as gifts or inherited. Of course, people did not wait a whole year until Elisha's day to bless all new clothes. The ritual was only performed on items bought after the New Year and worn no more than three times, as well as outfits in which a person felt uncomfortable. Name days on this day: Alexander, Vladimir, George, Elisha, Joseph, Methodius, Mstislav, Nicholas, Paul