Date according to the old style: August 13.
On this day, in Russia, Tikhon of Zadonsk (born Timofei Savelievich Sokolov), an important 18th-century church figure and theologian, was honored. He is considered the greatest Orthodox enlightener of his time. In 1759, he became the archimandrite of the Uspensky Zheltikov Monastery in Tver, later the bishop of Kexholm and Ladoga, and then the bishop of Voronezh and Yelets.
Bishop Tikhon primarily focused on preparing worthy pastors and put great effort into organizing the spiritual education system. He himself tried to appoint only deserving individuals to spiritual positions, instilling in them the correct understanding of the duties of their high rank. He also engaged in the construction and arrangement of churches. His contemporaries testified that Saint Tikhon had an enormous moral influence on social life. In his old age, after retiring, he wrote several significant spiritual works. The canonization of Tikhon of Zadonsk occurred in 1861, thanks to numerous reports of miracles that took place at his relics.
In Russia, Tikhon was considered a helper in relieving any despondency, and people prayed to him for the peace of their souls. On this day, it was also customary to circle the house with the icon of the Mother of God “Strastnaya.” Thus, the holiday combined the name of Saint Tikhon and the name of the icon.
Peasants had the custom of cleaning barns and cellars on this day, performing prayers to protect winter storage from evil words, the evil eye, and any unclean spirits.
On Tikhon’s day, people observed the winds: if they blew gently, it was a sign of calm winds in the coming days; if they blew fiercely, it foretold a rainy September. There were also harvest-related signs, such as: “If the forest is rich in mushrooms, it will also be rich in bread,” meaning that an abundance of mushrooms in the forests indicated a good grain harvest the following year.
Name days on this day:
Alexei, Vasily, Evdokia, Ivan, Hippolytus, Konstantin, Ksenia, Maxim, Nikolai, Paramon, Serafim, Tikhon, Yakov
