Why you can’t swim on Ilyin’s day

The Orthodox Church on August 2 celebrates the day of memory of the prophet Elijah. He is considered one of the most revered saints of the Old Testament. For a long time, on his feast, the prophet is glorified with prayers and divine services are held. And on this day, it was forbidden to swim before. Why did our ancestors introduce this strange restriction for summer?

According to the Bible, the prophet Elijah lived in the 9th century BC in the kingdom of Israel. He was a zealous servant of the god Yahweh and had the power to influence natural phenomena. The saint used his abilities to admonish sinners, for example, he brought down heavenly fire. He also performed many good miracles. Once Elijah even resurrected the son of a Sarepta widow, who later became the prophet Jonah.

For his righteous life and loyalty to Yahweh, the prophet Elijah was ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot during his lifetime. In Rus', the prophet began to be revered even before the adoption of Christianity. Sometimes he was even identified with another god of thunder - Perun. Elijah was called a "bearer" and they asked him for rain for crops. Marriageable girls performed special ceremonies in his honor in order to get married quickly and successfully.

They celebrated the day of Elijah widely. They laid common tables in the yards, prepared bread from the flour of the new crop, treated the poor and orphans. In some regions, a lamb or a calf was sacrificed to the prophet. The feast ended with mass festivities with songs, round dances and games.

On this day, everyone had a day off, since working for Elijah was considered a sin. By August 2, they tried to finish the household chores so as not to anger the saint. It was forbidden even to bring cattle to pastures. Our ancestors believed that on this day Elijah could strike the cattle with lightning in order to punish its owner. If on such a day there was a thunderstorm, then they said that "Ilya the prophet rides a chariot across the sky."

You probably noticed that the celebration of the day of the prophet Elijah is very similar to the events for the day of Ivan Kupala. The same treats, songs, round dances and games. But there is one major difference. On the Kupala night it was supposed to swim in the reservoirs, but on the prophet Elijah it was strictly forbidden.

In Rus', Elijah was considered the most powerful saint, who is frantically afraid of any evil spirits. On this day, evil forces did not have the opportunity to harm people and hid from the wrath of the prophet in the water. Therefore, people believed that swimming on August 2, you can become a victim of mermaids, water or devils. It was also believed that due to the negative aura of the water on this day, bathing could lead to severe or even fatal illness.

It was undesirable to bathe even after the day of the prophet Elijah. They said that "until Ilyin's day, a peasant bathes, and from Ilyin's day he says goodbye to the river." But this ban did not apply to rainwater. On the contrary, if it rained on the prophet Elijah, it was not supposed to hide from him. Rain water was collected in containers, as it was believed that it had healing powers and repelled evil spirits.

The ban on swimming from August 2, like many other customs, had a practical meaning. In many parts of Russia, the water in rivers and lakes was already cool in August. Therefore, it was possible to seriously forgive. Today, few people think about this, but centuries ago, when medicine was primitive, elementary bronchitis, and even more so pneumonia, could have sad consequences.