Old style date: July 3 Mokii and Mark, remembered on this day, lived during the time of Emperor Maximian and were faithful Christians. During the persecutions, the pagans captured them and tried to force them to worship idols. According to tradition, when the saints were being led to the altar, a small child came out in front of them and their guards, trying to prevent them from proceeding. For this, the pagans cruelly beat the innocent child. Seeing this, Mokii and Mark were even more determined not to worship the idols. For this, they were executed by beheading with a sword. This day was considered unlucky in Russia, so it was advised not to start any new endeavors and to exercise increased caution in everything. Another name for this holiday is Seroarele. This is how people referred to the Pleiades star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Its appearance in the sky brought luck to hunters; if it was not visible, it was not worth going into the forest as you would return empty-handed. In Russia, stars were generally revered, considered angels who opened the windows of their bright homes in the evening to see how people lived on earth. In villages, haymaking continued during this time, but there was a rush: if it wasn’t done before the rainy season, enough fodder for winter couldn’t be secured. On this day, thunderstorms were frequent. “Mokii waters the land, and Mark stands on the haystack”; “Mokii irrigates the fields, and Mark rushes to gather the hay” – people used to say. Also, on Mokii and Mark’s day, it was customary to gather poppies. Therefore, the holiday was also called Poppy Day due to the phonetic resemblance to the saints’ names. Attention was paid to insects as well. If mosquitoes and midges swirled in circles, it predicted good weather for the next seven days. Names celebrated on this day: Alexander, Anatoly, Anton, Vasily, George, Gerasim, Ivan, Konstantin, Mark, Michael, Nicodemus, Philip.