According to the folk calendar - Naum to mind

December 14 (December 1, old style) is the day of Nahum according to the folk calendar. The holiday is dedicated to Saint Naum - one of the 12 minor prophets who lived in the 7th century before the birth of Christ. He became famous for the book of prophecies he wrote that clearly described the fall of the city of Nineveh in Assyria. Nahum the mind, Nahum the Reader - this is how the people called the prophet. He was considered the patron of science and literacy, so it was customary to pray to the saint so that he would “instruct” and help to study. In addition, people turned to Naum for help to give practical advice in a difficult situation. It has long been a tradition to start sending your children to study from the day of Nahum. Since it cost money to send a child to study, not everyone could receive an education. The peasants understood that only a literate person could get out of poverty. Even dreams were interpreted symbolically: if an illiterate person sees the alphabet, problems await him, but for an educated person - good luck. According to custom, the transfer of a young student to study began with prayer in church and a blessing. Then the family returned home and waited for the teacher-deacon to arrive. At home he was greeted with honors. The future student was supposed to bow to the teacher three times, and the deacon was supposed to lightly spank his ward three times with a whip. The ceremony ended with the presentation of gifts to the deacon in the form of lard, butter or loaf, wrapped in a towel. And the next day the student already went to the teacher. Payments for training were most often made in products, less often in money. Nahum Day was previously celebrated as Teacher's Day. It was customary to give teachers various gifts. Students were prohibited from snacking during class so as not to eat away the knowledge they had learned. Children always closed the book after class so as not to forget the material they had learned. Based on signs on the day of Nahum, people learned the weather for the future. The moon in the sky with a clear halo foreshadowed frost, and if the horns of the month were turned upward, it meant that it was worth waiting for warmth. The crackling trees promised strong winds. Wind blowing from the north was noticed before severe frosts.