According to the folk calendar - Pudov day

April 28 (April 15, old style) is celebrated as Pudov Day according to the folk calendar This name for the day is given from the church date of veneration of St Pud, an apostle from the 70s who lived in the 1st century The saint lived in the capital of Ancient Rome and served as a senator in the government He was a follower of Jesus Christ and was one of the 70 apostles The Apostle Paul became his mentor in Christian teaching Pud opened his home to believers and later converted it into a temple During the reign of Emperor Nero, a cruel persecutor of Christians, Pud was tortured and killed for his faith in Christ Among the people of Pudov, the day was called Apiary Day Beekeepers checked the safety of the swarm by the buzzing of bees in the hive, and took the hives out into the fresh air from the winter hive If the first flowers were seen blooming and the air temperature rose above +10°C, then the shutters on the hives were opened and the bees were released The first flight was a joyful event for both the beekeeper and his bees, because the earlier the flight occurred, the earlier the bee colony began to develop, and therefore produce honey Also, by the day of Pud, the rowan tree began to bloom The people revered her and tried to treat her with care Brides at their wedding wove a blooming rowan branch into a wreath as a symbol of protection from evil spirits Residents believed that by biting a rowan branch and reading a special spell, they could get rid of tooth pain However, such a patient should not subsequently eat rowan berries, otherwise the pain could return Viburnum bloomed along with the mountain ash People made up sad legends and sang songs about her Kalina was planted near the house, believing that it would be a talisman for the family from evil spirits It was also forbidden to break it, as well as to destroy storks And its flowering was associated with girlish beauty It was believed that on Pudov Day, viburnum and rowan had strong medicinal properties On this day, the healers collected their kidneys and prepared healing tinctures If the buds managed to open and develop into flowering, then their inflorescences were collected If peasants noticed a red sunset on Pudov Day, then the next day they expected rainy and windy weather Clear skies during the day, but cloudy in the evening, promised a change in the weather leading to precipitation The cool evening on Pudov Day foreshadowed the coming warming The game of rooks was observed on sunny days