Saint Catherine’s Day is the main birthday day for owners of this name.
Every year in December, the church honors the memory of the holy martyr Catherine of Alexandria. She is considered the patroness of childbirth, motherhood, marriage and family happiness. An important tradition of the holiday is various fortune-telling on the groom.
When is Catherine’s Day celebrated?
The date of the holiday remains the same – December 7. In 2021, the day will fall on a Tuesday. Catherine’s other name days are celebrated on December 17, February 5, February 15, and March 20.
How to celebrate Catherine’s Day
Saint Catherine’s Day is considered an important holiday not only for the owners of this name, but also for women. Especially unmarried girls were waiting for him, because on this holiday fortune-telling is carried out on the groom.
On December 7, our ancestors arranged women’s gatherings, shared gossip and secrets, gathered for joint fortune-telling. The tables on this date were overflowing with lean dishes.
Divination on Catherine’s Day
- The most popular fortune-telling on this day is related to cherry branches. An unmarried girl needs to pluck a cherry branch in the morning and put it in a container with water. If flowers appear on the branch before Christmas, the marriage will be very happy.
- You need to put a crust of bread from dinner under the pillow and say “My handsome bridegroom, come quickly, I will feed you.” Then the girl should dream of a groom.
- In the morning, you need to collect water in a basin or a large bowl and wash yourself. If the ripples on the water quickly disappear, then soon the girl will meet the groom.
What not to do on Catherine’s Day
- You can’t heat the stove and light a fire, otherwise “life will go up in smoke.”
- It is forbidden to eat meat and dairy dishes, because the Christmas fast is still going on.
- Hard work, needlework, repairs are prohibited.
Prayer for St. Catherine’s Day
Saint Catherine is asked for a happy marriage, successful childbirth, and the conception of a child. Women ask her for female happiness. She is also prayed for clarity of mind, as St. Catherine was known for her sharp mind.
Oh, holy great-martyr Catherine, chosen vessel of purity, pillar of Orthodoxy, our reliable representative, who revealed to us the guilt of praying for her, lawful ascetic, holy rests on the holy mountain! We pray to you: come down from above, hear the voice of our prayer, look at the plight of your servants, enlighten the darkening of our mind, make us mountain wise, and not earthly! Grant us all that is in favor of the request: for you can ask a lot from the beloved Bridegroom, Christ our God. We know that the prayer of a righteous person, hastened by the benevolence of a merciful God, can do much, to Him be glory, honor and thanks always, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
