Saint Spyridon of Trimifuntsky was born at the end of the 3rd century on the island of Cyprus. He was a shepherd and a farmer, had a wife and children. He was distinguished by extraordinary kindness, humility and simplicity. After the death of his wife, he devoted his life to the suffering.
He gave all his funds to the needs of his neighbors and pilgrims, for which the Lord rewarded him with the gift of miracles: he healed the terminally ill and cast out demons. He, a simple farmer, was honored with the high rank of bishop of his native city of Trimifunt. And in the rank of bishop, the saint did not change his way of life, combining pastoral service with works of mercy.
According to the testimony of church historians, Saint Spyridon in 325 AD took part in acts where the saint entered into a competition with the Greek philosopher who defended the Arian heresy. The simple speech of Saint Spyridon showed everyone the weakness of human wisdom before the Wisdom of God: “There is only one God who created heaven and earth and created man out of the earth and arranged everything else, visible and invisible. With His Word and Spirit … And you dare to investigate how all this can be, for these secrets are higher than your mind and far exceed human knowledge."
Saint Spyridon showed against the Arians a clear proof of unity in the Holy Trinity: he took a brick in his hands and squeezed it; instantly fire went up from him, water flowed down, and clay remained in the hands of the miracle worker. "Behold, there are three elements, but the plinth (brick) is one," St. Spyridon said at the time, "so in the Holy Trinity there are also Three Persons, and the Divine is one."
The saint cared for common people with great love. At his prayer, the drought was replaced by an abundant life-giving rain, and continuous rains - a bucket, the sick were healed, demons were driven out. Once a woman came to him with a dead child in her arms, asking for intercession. Having prayed, Spiridon brought the baby back to life. The mother, overwhelmed with joy, fell down breathless. But the prayer of the saint of God brought life back to the mother.
Somehow, in a hurry to save his friend, who was slandered and sentenced to death, the saint was stopped on his way by a stream that suddenly overflowed from the flood. The saint ordered the stream: “Become! So the Lord of the whole world commands you, so that I can cross over and the husband for whose sake I hasten to be saved. The will of the saint was fulfilled, and he safely crossed to the other side. The judge, warned of the miracle that had taken place, met Saint Spyridon with honor and dismissed his friend.
The story of Socrates Scholasticus is also known about how thieves decided to steal the sheep of Saint Spyridon: in the deep night they climbed into the sheepfold, but immediately by invisible force they were tied up. When morning came, the saint came to the flock and, seeing the tied robbers, having prayed, untied them and for a long time persuaded them to leave the lawless path and earn food by honest labor. "Then, having given them a sheep each and letting them go, he said tenderly: let it be not in vain that you were awake."
They often liken Saint Spyridon to the prophet, for it was raining during the droughts that often threatened the island of Cyprus because of his prayer.
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The relics of Saint Spyridon rest on the island of Corfu in the church named after him (except for the right hand, which is in Rome).
They say that Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, during a pilgrimage to Greece to the relics of the saint of God Spiridon of Trimifuntsky, witnessed an amazing event. During the procession around the relics, an English traveler aloud and loudly said that there was no miracle and that the body was probably embalmed. To the amazement of all those present, the body of the saint slowly rose and even turned a little … Nikolai Vasilievich was shocked and told about the incident to the Optina elder Ambrose.
The people in their calendar designated the day of December 25 - and this is the day of the winter solstice - Spiridon the turning, Spiridon the solstice. The Russian people have created many proverbs for this day. In them, in addition to the well-aimed observations of the farmer, there is also a joyful rise from the premonition of the imminent spring, its expectation, the invariability of its arrival.
"After Spiridon, even a sparrow gallop, may the day come." "From Spiridon the sun for the summer, winter for the frost." "From which side the wind blows on Spiridon-turn, from that side it will blow until the vernal equinox." "At the solstice, the bear in the den turns on its other side, and the cow warms its side in the sun." "On the shortest day - the frosts of Spiridonyev." "If it is light and radiant on Spiridon, the New Year will stand frosty and clear, if it is gloomy and frost hangs on the trees, it will be warm and cloudy." Day of celebration of Spiridon December 25.
There are many pagan elements in the popular celebration of Siiridon, the solstice: these are bonfires, and merry rolling downhills, molding snow women and rolling a wheel to an ice-hole, where the wheel was burned under the words: "Wheel, burn, roll, come back with red spring!" On this day, the hostesses, so that the chickens carried well, fed them from the right sleeve. We came down to us from a pagan distance and guesswork on this day: for example, they put cherry twigs in a pot with earth or in a vessel with water, without earth, and watched: if the twigs bloom at Christmas, then next year there will be a harvest for garden fruits. The gardeners shook the branches of the apple trees and said: "Spiridony's day, come up!"
From the book: "100 Great Holidays". Elena Olegovna Chekulaeva