Date according to the old calendar: July 16. On this day, the memory of St. Athanasius the Martyr and his ten disciples, who suffered for their faith during the persecution of Christians in the city of Sebaste, is commemorated. According to tradition, one day, the governor Philomarch held a great celebration in honor of the pagan gods and ordered the townspeople to offer sacrifices to the idols. Many of the inhabitants of Sebaste refused to participate because they were Christians. The governor ordered his soldiers to beat the dissenters. It was then discovered that Christianity had spread in Sebaste due to the sermons of the local bishop, the elderly Athanasius. Philomarch ordered his men to find Athanasius and bring him to trial. The soldiers sent to the monastery did not find him, but they captured his ten disciples. After that, Athanasius himself came to the governor and reproached him for imprisoning innocent people. The bishop's words had no effect on Philomarch, and the elder was imprisoned along with his disciples. At the trial, all eleven Christians showed steadfastness and refused to worship the pagan idols. After brutal tortures, they were executed. Before his death, Athanasius was honored to hear the voice of God, promising the martyrs a place in paradise. It was believed that by the day of Athanasius, or Finogeev, as he was called in Russia, the summer reached its peak heat. The holiday was of great importance to peasants—in many regions, they began to harvest rye. The first sheaf reaped was called the "birthday sheaf." In the evening after work, it was carried to the barn with songs: the master walked in front with the sheaf, followed by the workers. The birthday sheaf was kept for future rituals: it was used to start threshing, its straw was used to feed sick animals, and its grain was used to treat people. Some of the first grain was always saved for sowing. In addition, a few ears of grain were left standing in the field. This unharvested area was called "Finogeev's volotka" (volotka—the top of the sheaf). From the remaining ears, the old women would weave what was called Volos's beard; no one was to touch these ears afterward as they were intended as an offering to an ancient Slavic god. The harvest season was accompanied by many proverbs, sayings, and omens that were remembered on St. Athanasius's day. Among them were: "The first ear for Finogeev, the last for Elijah’s beard"; "On Finogeev, pray to the sun—ask God for good weather"; "If Finogeev comes with warmth and light—you will finish the harvest early; Finogeev with rain—the sheaves will rot, the grain in the sheaf will sprout." On Athanasius's day, attention was paid to signs. If the carrot tops drooped—it predicted rain. And when frequent fogs began, people prepared to gather mushrooms. From this day on, mushroom dishes regularly appeared on the table: the much-loved buckwheat porridge with mushrooms and onions, white mushroom cutlets, mushroom caviar, and, of course, fried potatoes with mushrooms. Summer steadily approached autumn, and the birds ceased to sing. "On Athanasius's day, even the bird starts to ponder"; "The dawn gathers the birds' feathers," people observed. Name Days on This Day Alevtina, Valentina, Ivan, Matrona, Pavel, Petr, Fedor, Yulia, Yakov