Celebration of Eleni: Observed customs and symbolic aspects of the festivity
Let's dive into the festivities of St. Helena's Day, celebrated on June 3rd (or Old Style: May 21st) – though the celebration varies across different religious traditions. St. Helena of Constantinople, the queen, is the focus of this occasion.
Traditional practices painting a vivid picture of this day are quite intriguing. Young ladies would ask St. Helena to protect their fate, while activities like planting grains, like barley and buckwheat, and sowing cucumbers were common. If cucumbers had already sprouted, a crafty trick was to secretly drag an old shoe from the doorstep to the cucumber beds, leaving it there, and "charm" the harvest by wishing for it to grow as densely as the shoe was dragged. Another interesting custom was that women didn't braid their hair on this day, believing Aelena-the-goose might touch their hair, resulting in soft, long, and light locks as flax.
Now, let's address some folklore surrounding the weather on St. Helena's Day. A rainy, stormy day points towards a fall filled with similar weather. If it rains all day with hail, it's said that it will snow heavily on December 3rd. Spotting the moon in a ring in the evening might be a sign of future bad weather, while a rowan tree filled with berries predicts a good flax harvest. Hearing the cuckoo's song signifies fair, warm days.
It's essential to note some discrepancies in the celebration of St. Helena's Day. The island of St. Helena does not celebrate a specific St. Helena's Day on June 3rd, as it is known for a love of country music among its residents, rather than any St. Helena Day traditions[3]. Moreover, the weather-related folklore provided here doesn't appear to have any direct relation to a day called St. Helena's Day on June 3rd.
[1] Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Helena, Saint. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Helena-mother-of-Constantine-I[2] St. Helena Island. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Helena[3] González, M. (2020, June 29). Saint Helena's African slaves sang about hope. Now they are taking the island's crown. The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/saint-helena-african-slaves-sang-about-hope-now-they-are-taking-the-islands-crown
Maintaining the lore of St. Helena's Day, home-and-garden activities held great significance to the celebration, as young ladies would prayerfully request St. Helena's protection and engage in tasks like sowing grains and crops. In addition, one's lifestyle showcased beliefs and superstitions about weather, as folks would interpret weather patterns on St. Helena's Day to foretell future conditions, particularly claiming that a rainy day could signify fall's impending showers.
