The Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Seven Martyrs Maccabees, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar. The holiday is dedicated to Christian martyr saints. In folk circles, however, it is also a holiday of fortune-telling, which often lasts 12 days.
Each day from the 1st to the 12th of August traditionally corresponds to one month of the year, counting from September onwards. As the weather will be during the day, so will it be during the month. This is how it is determined whether the new economic year will be favorable, BLITZ reported.
On this day (the first Maccabee), all sons-in-law go to visit their father-in-law, bring gifts and kiss hands (that’s why somewhere they call the holiday Son-in-law’s Day). They are entertained with wine and fresh bread. From Maccave begins the Virgin’s Lent, which lasts two weeks until the Great Virgin.
Folk perceptions of the holiday are related to the general idea of the passing summer, of the gradual transition to a new agricultural cycle. This is where the desire for prognostication of economic activities stems from. This ritual divination is nothing but an initial type of magic: something that happens during a certain period will happen throughout the year. This is how future prosperity is predicted. For a favorable outcome is the ritual visiting of guests, expressing honor and respect (younger to older, i.e. to the ancestors).
The distribution of pies and wine also has a ritual nature – of a sacrifice. In the pagan plan of the rite, the beginning fast (deprivation) is a negative magic, invoking fertility. It is based on the mythological life-death-new life; in this tripartite fast is equal to a temporary death that will cause the new birth. This magically ensures a bountiful harvest and success in agrarian activity in the future cycle.
Today is a name day for all those who bear the beautiful names Makavey, Zdravko and Zdravka.
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