What church holiday do believers celebrate on February 4 according to the new and old styles, what not to do and who has a name day.

On February 4, according to the new church calendar, Orthodox Christians remember St. Nicholas the Confessor. Among the people, it is Nikola Studeny’s Day. What to pray to the saint about, prohibitions and signs of the day, what is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on February 4 according to the old style – we tell in the material.

February 4, 2024 – what church holiday is today according to the new and old calendar

February 4 (February 17, old style) is the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas the Confessor, or Nicholas the Studite.

Nicholas was born in the 8th century on the island of Crete. At the age of ten, his parents sent him to the Studite monastery in Constantinople, where his uncle, Blessed Theophan, was a monk. Nicholas studied at the monastery and then became a monk. At that time, the Byzantine emperor Leo V the Armenian began persecuting priests, monks and believers. Nicholas was also arrested and thrown into prison. He was released only after Empress Theodora ascended the throne – it was she who brought back the veneration of icons.

Afterwards, Nicholas was elected abbot of the Studite monastery, but a few years later he had to leave it – because of the new dissolute emperor Michael III. The saint had to wander for seven years until he was captured and returned to the monastery, where he was captured. They were released only after the death of the emperor; under the new ruler, Nikolai Studiysky again became the abbot of the monastery.

Because of his confessional life, the saint is called Nicholas the Confessor. He received the gift of healings from God, which remained after his death.

Holiday February 4th according to the old style – day of remembrance of the apostle Timothy from the age of 70. Previously, we told you what you can and cannot do on the church holiday on January 22.

What do the signs say for February 4th?

Signs of the day will tell you about the weather and the future harvest:

• the forest turned black – to the thaw;
• frost on this day – there will be a good harvest;
• fog high – to good weather, and if it falls to the ground – to thaw and snow;
• spruce branches bend – for a blizzard, straighten – for good weather.

In the folk calendar, February 4 is the holiday of St. Nicholas the Student, St. Nicholas the Student. They called him that not only by the name of the saint, but also because there was usually snow and frost on those days. People say: “A mountain of snow will fall on Studeny Nikola.”

What not to do on February 4

What not to do today:

• to wish evil, to envy;
• refuse help;
• offend animals;
• sit back.

According to folk superstitions, it is not recommended to go into the forest on Nikola Studenogo – at this time the so-called “animal weddings” begin, so there is a chance of meeting wild animals. You should also not go on a long journey – it will be unsuccessful, and get a haircut.

What can you do on February 4

Nicholas the Confessor, since the saint had the gift of healing, they pray for health, healing from illnesses, read prayers against meeting a wild animal, and ask for well-being.

On this day, people do exclusively household chores and also devote time to caring for pets.

February 4 – name day today

Name days today according to the church calendar are celebrated by Alexander, Alexey, Andrey, Anna, Arkady, Boris, Vasily, Georgy, Dmitry, Ekaterina, Ivan, Kirill, Maria, Mikhail, Nikolay, Peter, Sergey, Fedor, Yuri.

Previously, we published a complete church calendar for February 2024 with holidays for every day in a new style.