What church holiday do believers celebrate on February 5 according to the new and old styles, what not to do and who has a name day.

On February 5, according to the new church calendar, Orthodox Christians remember St. Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, and the Martyr Agathia. Among the people – the day of Agafya the Cowgirl. What to pray for, prohibitions and signs of the day, what is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on February 5 according to the old style – we tell in the material.

February 5, 2024 – what church holiday is today according to the new and old calendar

February 5 (February 18, old style) is the day of remembrance of St. Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov and the holy martyr Agathia, one of the most revered early Christian saints.

Saint Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, lived in the 17th century. He was from the Podolsk province, from the old noble family of Polonitsky-Uglitsky. Theodosius studied at the Kiev-Brotherly School, then took monastic vows.

The first serious obedience for Theodosius was the revival of the Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery, which at that time was ruined. The next stage in his life was his appointment as archimandrite of the Chernigov Yelets Monastery; the monastery was also devastated and ruined. A few years later, Theodosius headed the Chernigov diocese. Monasticism under Theodosius in the diocese experienced a special rise, and Theodosius also patronized the Chernigov theological schools.

The saint died in 1696 and was buried in the Chernigov Boris and Gleb Cathedral, behind the right choir, in a crypt made for this purpose. Later, his successor, Saint John (Maksimovich), built a brick vault over the coffin with an inscription of praise – for a miraculous healing from a serious illness. The glorification of Saint Theodosius took place in 1896.

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Agathia lived in the 3rd century in Sicily. She came from a rich and noble family and was very beautiful. The city prefect Kvitsian had his eye on her, but Agatha decided to devote herself to serving God. The mayor decided to take revenge: the girl was captured and sent to a brothel, and then brought to trial. Afterwards, Agatha was tortured for a long time and thrown into prison. The martyr was bleeding when the Apostle Peter and an angel appeared to her. He healed her wounds and opened the door, but Agatha refused to run, so that the guards would not be punished for it. The saint was burned at the stake and, according to legend, at that very moment an earthquake began. A year after the death of the saint, the Etna volcano woke up in Sicily – the residents began to earnestly pray to Agatha for salvation, and the lava did not reach the city.

Since then, the saint has been revered as a protector from fires and floods, and the patroness of homes and livestock, primarily cows.

Holiday February 5th according to the old style – day of remembrance of the Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra. Previously, we told you what you can and cannot do on the church holiday on January 23.

What do the signs say for February 5th?

The signs of this day speak about the weather in spring and summer:

• frost on this day – spring will be early, and summer will be dry and hot;
• if there is no snow, the summer will be dry;
• The weather has been warm – there will be no more cold weather.

In the folk calendar, February 5 is the holiday of Agafya the Skotnitsa, Agafya the Memorial, Saint Agafya is considered the patroness of livestock, especially wet-nurse cows.

What not to do on February 5

What not to do today:

• swear, swear;
• hurt domestic animals;
• despair, give in to despondency.

You should not refuse to help the poor and homeless on this day – otherwise, according to the sign, you may end up in their place.

What you can do on February 5th, what to pray for

They ask Saint Theodosius for the healing of various diseases, especially cancer – various miracles took place near the relics of the saint. They pray to Theodosius for protection from slander, hatred, and resolution of difficult family situations. Also, Theodosius of Chernigov is asked to strengthen the minds of children.

Saint Agafia is considered a protector from fire. According to tradition, on this day in Catholic and Orthodox churches, bread and salt were blessed, which were then fed to domestic animals so that they would not get sick, and kept in the house as a talisman against fire. It was also customary on Agafya to remember deceased relatives and visit their graves.

In the old days, on this day it was customary to clean the stables, cages and sheds where domestic animals lived.

February 5 – name day today

Name days today according to the church calendar are celebrated by Theodosius, Agafya, Makar, Anton, Evgeniy, Vasilisa.

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