Today, June 7, Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate the third Finding of the head of John the Baptist. This holiday is dedicated to John the Baptist and among the people it is often called Ivanov Day or Honey Dew..

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history of the holiday.

According to the gospel, John was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, who predicted the coming of the Savior. He baptized him in the waters of the Jordan River.

He exposed many sinners, among whom was King Herod, who married his brother's wife, Herodias. It was she who did not forgive the prophet for this humiliation, and persuaded her daughter Solomia to ask Herod for the head of the prophet.

Solomiya danced so well at the festival that King Herod could not refuse her. Because the imprisoned prophet was executed. According to legend, Herodias forbade the burial of the head of the prophet along with his body and kept it in her room.. Then the head was found and lost several times.

On March 9, the first and second finding of the head is celebrated, and the third is on June 7. It happened in 850. Due to the unrest caused by the exile of Ivan Chrysostom, the head was first transferred from Constantinople to Emesa, and then due to the raids of the Saracens - to Komana, where during the period of iconoclasm it was hidden in the ground.

After the restoration of icon veneration by the Council of Constantinople in 842, Patriarch Ignatius, during a night prayer, received a sign where to look for the head of the prophet.

He passed this information on to Emperor Michael III. He sent an embassy to Comana, where the head of John the Baptist was found in the indicated place. Later, the head was transferred to Constantinople, where it was placed in the court church.. Part of the shrine is kept on Mount Athos.

What not to do on a holiday.

Our ancestors observed certain taboos on this day.

Do not eat round red foods.

Do not use sharp objects, as well as cut and saw something.

Can't serve food on a platter. It is believed that this is how the head of the prophet was presented to Solomiya.

Can't sing and dance.

You can not wear dark clothes, and also walk barefoot in the dew.