Brownie Day

Today I would like to continue the story about traditional Slavic holidays. February 10 is traditionally celebrated in Russia as Brownie Day. From ancient times, gifts were left for the brownie in the yard – coins, shreds of cloth, crusts of bread. And after the evening meal, food was put on the table for him.

On this day, it is customary to appease the household spirit in every possible way. Especially for the brownie, you need to leave a bowl of milk and a pot of porridge. Previously, people believed that at midnight the “owner” of the house would crawl out from under the stove, where he lives according to legend, taste the treat, and after that he would be kind, humble and helpful all year. If the brownie is not treated on this day, then he will turn into an evil one. And then, everything will go awry on the farm: cattle and households will start to get sick, all undertakings will end in failure. In addition, in order to please the brownie, absolute cleanliness was introduced into the dwelling by this day. On the evening of February 10, they told stories about the brownie: about his tricks, character and about the meetings of a person with him. It was believed that in a caring and friendly family, the brownie lives in harmony with the owners. There is also a sign that if you look in the mirror as often as possible after dinner on February 10, you can preserve youth and beauty for a long time.

It is important to remember that on this day, in no case should you kill any insects – not only crickets, but also cockroaches, bedbugs and spiders, otherwise you can bring trouble and misfortune to the house and household. Cats and other pets also cannot be offended on this day – the brownie will punish.