Old style date: April 12. In fact, the saint commemorated on this day was called Basil of Paris. In the 8th century, he served as a bishop in the city of Paris, was an advocate of icon veneration, and fell victim to the iconoclast persecutions that took place in the Byzantine Empire at that time. However, as often happens, the Russian people changed the saint's nickname and began calling him the Steamer. The explanation was quickly found. “On Vasily's day, spring heats the earth,” noted the peasants. The earth was sometimes personified; in this case, it was said: “It steams like an old woman in a bath.” If the saying proved true and the sun indeed warmed the soil well, a good harvest could be expected. Hunters were convinced that on this day, the bear coming out of its den would hide in the bushes. Therefore, it was necessary to walk through the forest with great caution. On this day, proverbs about hares were also recalled. “Hare, hare, jump out of the bush,” hunters would say to spot the game. However, life was not easy for the hare - if not shot by a person, a predatory animal would catch it. “The gray hare has seen many troubles,” they said about them, having changed from their white winter fur to gray in the spring.