Old style date: June 19. On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Zosima. He was born in Thrace in 89 AD, when the Christian faith was just beginning to emerge. However, the young man was filled with the desire to become a Christian – and soon fulfilled it. When Zosima learned about the persecutions of Christians, he left military service, was baptized, and dedicated his life to prayer and doing good deeds. This was reported to the ruler Domitian, and Zosima had to stand trial. He was firm in his faith, refusing to renounce Christ and sacrifice to pagan gods. After that, the former soldier was tortured but endured it without feeling pain. The martyr was then imprisoned and, after some time, beheaded. In the Russian folk calendar, there are several days dedicated to Zosima, all of which are connected in some way to bees. In particular, on the July Zosima day, bees start bringing honey to the hives and filling the combs. Therefore, beekeepers tried not to disturb the insects unnecessarily; if they happened to pass by a hive, they needed to say an incantation: "Swarm, buzz, fly to the fields! From the fields return home - bring honey!". Other customs were widespread among beekeepers, whose observance guaranteed a good honey harvest. Among them were both rational practices (for example, placing titmice under the hive lids to destroy pests) and ritualistic ones (such as burying a jug of mead in the ground as an offering to the spirit - the patron of beekeeping). Bees have always been revered in Russia. This is evidenced by numerous proverbs and sayings. Among them are: "The bee is God's servant, bringing wax for candles"; "The bee stings only the sinner"; "For the bee, any lesson is easy"; "Destroying bees is like killing a person." There were also special signs: if bees fly to the hives - rain is coming, and if they sit on the walls - strong heat is coming. In addition to Zosima, Saint Job is often remembered on this day. It was customary to pray to this righteous man for deliverance from unjust offenses and various slanders. Name days on this day: Ivan, Thaddeus