On September 5 (Old Style), the memory of the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth — the parents of John the Baptist — is commemorated. According to tradition, righteous Elizabeth was the sister of Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary. Together with her husband, she lived in Hebron; the couple reached an old age but had no children. One day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and announced the imminent birth of their son, John. The priest did not believe this news and, as punishment, lost his ability to speak; he regained it only on the day of his son's birth. During the massacre of the infants, Elizabeth and John sought refuge in the wilderness. At that time, Zacharias was captured and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of his wife and son, but the priest said nothing and was killed in the temple. According to one legend, Elizabeth died after 40 days in the wilderness, and John was nourished by an angel. According to the hagiography, Elizabeth was the first to predict to her cousin Mary the birth of the Savior. Therefore, in popular belief, the day of John the Baptist’s parents was considered appropriate for predictions and divination. Young women would often practice fortune-telling to learn about their future spouse. On Zacharias and Elizabeth's day, it was also customary to drive away the "kumokha" or fever using birch brooms. "Kumokha—a malevolent force, thin-faced, large-eyed, with blue skin"—was how it was described in Russia. To ward off illness, people would heat up the bathhouse and have a thorough steam. It was believed that those born on Zacharias and Elizabeth's day possessed special power: they were not touched by werewolves or forest spirits. Such individuals were often hired as shepherds to protect livestock from evil forces and wolves. It was also believed that if someone born on this day mowed hay, the cows would eat it with particular delight and produce the best-tasting milk. The day was also used to predict the winter. People would observe the rowan trees: if the leaves had already turned yellow, it meant winter would come early and be cold; if they saw many berries, they expected a rainy autumn. Name days on this date: Alexander, Alexey, Athanasius, Gleb, David, Elizabeth, Yefim, Zachary, Iraida, Maxim, Raisa, Theodore.