Date according to the old calendar: September 4. On this day, the feast of the icon of the Mother of God, called the "Burning Bush," is celebrated. According to tradition, God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning yet unconsumed thorn bush to call the prophet to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. In Christianity, the Burning Bush became a symbol of the Virgin Mary, representing the immaculate conception of the Virgin. Orthodox Christians venerate the miraculous icon of the Mother of God with the same name. In the center of the icon is the image of Mary with the child, enclosed in an eight-pointed star, which, in turn, is formed by two quadrilaterals — green (the natural color of the bush) and red (the color of the flame surrounding it). In Russian iconography, the icon has been known since the mid-16th century, and the feast in its honor was established in the 17th century. Among the people, the Burning Bush was naturally considered a protector from fire and lightning. A special prayer was recited on this day. Additionally, there was a custom, in case of a fire, to walk around the burning house with the icon of the Mother of God, the Burning Bush. In Russia, there were many superstitions related to fires, which were considered the greatest disaster for peasants, alongside crop failure. For instance, they said that a fire caused by lightning could be extinguished with milk from a black cow, kvass, or beer. It was also believed that if a white dove was thrown into a burning house, the flames would go out. A black dog or cat living in the house could save it from a storm fire. There were also special signs: fires were foretold by mice running across the floor, a cuckoo flying through the village, or a hare running through the settlement. Interestingly, a fire barrel was not supposed to be kept in perfect condition; it was said that being too prepared for a fire was tempting fate. At this time, women would start harvesting onions, while men would inspect the haylofts and poke pitchforks into the hay to drive out "gnetuha" and "trjasuha," spirits of disease that could attack livestock in the winter. Similarly, pitchforks were poked into dry moss when building a house. Name days on this day: Alexander, Vasily, Grigory, Elena, Ivan, Mitrofan, Mikhail, Moses, Nikolai, Pavel, Peter, Stepan, Fedor, Julian.