On April 23, Christians of the Eastern rite in Ukraine celebrate St. George's Day (Yuri) Victorious. Traditionally a saint was portrayed as a soldier on horseback killing a dragon or snake. He is also called Yuri Zmeyborts.

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History of the holiday.

According to legend, George was a Roman soldier who lived in Cappadocia in the III century AD during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. He was a Christian, and when he refused to renounce his faith, the soldiers of the emperor tortured him to his death.

A well -known legend of the dragon is also associated with it. The townspeople terrorized the dragon, and they were forced to sacrifice young people. St. George drove into the city and killed the dragon, saved people and converted them to Christianity.

After the death of the saint, he was honored as a martyr. He became especially popular in England in the Middle Ages, where he was considered a defender of the country and a symbol of chivalry. George is still revered as a patron saint of England.

In Ukraine, the Orthodox Church honors George (Yuri) Zmeyeborts. He is considered the patron saint of warriors. The saint is also depicted on the emblems of 15 settlements and territorial communities, including Kamenetz-Podolsky, Nezhin and the Kyiv region.

What is prohibited to do on St. George's Day.

Since ancient times, some prohibitions have been associated with this holiday. On this day it was forbidden to swear, to sort things out, and gossip.

On this day you can’t do needlework, it’s hard to work physically, clean. It was believed that on this day it is impossible to use sharp objects, since you can bring trouble.

Also, on the day of St. Yuri, the victorious was forbidden to comb the hair and cut off.

On this day you cannot deal with wool, it is also forbidden to touch woolen threads.