Observation and savvy have always been the hallmarks of the Russian people, helping them to overcome the most difficult times. It is thanks to these qualities that Russian folk signs for the crop appeared, which can rightfully be called an encyclopedia of rural life. Over the centuries-old period, this knowledge has accumulated so much that today it is an invaluable tool for us.
Spring folk omens for the harvest
In their observations of nature, our ancestors assigned a special place to spring days. This is no coincidence, because it is they who carry with them a revival of nature. It was noted that what they will be, so will be the harvest this year. The villagers began their observations from the first days of March, when the sun was still only slightly touching the earth with its rays.
Old people taught young people that if March is dry, then this is a sure sign that the mother earth of their workers will enjoy a plentiful harvest. Then hurry up to repair the old barns and build new ones. And vice versa. If spring in its beginning weeps with rain tears, then these tears will pour out to the peasant, who was left without a crop in the fall. Folk omens for harvest in winter and summer are faithful, proven by many generations.
March snow was considered a good sign. Even small children knew that if spring plowed their gardens, then there would be something to collect from the beds and prepare for the winter. And with special excitement they expected the day on March 25th. A lot depended on him - they knew if it would be foggy, or even better, with the first spring loud, then this is a sign of such a harvest that no barns are enough for him.
April signs in rural life
When April came to replace March, it was already believed that nature did not cry in the rains, but happily washed after a winter sleep. Accordingly, it was a very good sign, promising an excellent harvest. She foreshadowed a summer rich in mushrooms, but the April thunderstorm is a sure sign of a nut crop.
But the most sophisticated connoisseurs of signs will wait until the early morning of April 4 - the day of Vasily Solnechnik. We got up still dark and went into the field to catch the first rays of the sun. It was believed that if red circles are visible around the awakening luminary, then doubts can be discarded - the year will be abundant.
Predictions of the Last Spring Month
The omens of the harvest associated with the weather in May were very peculiar. Modern people, especially city dwellers, rejoice if it comes out dry and warm, but for our ancestors engaged in peasant labor, it was the worst sign that did not promise full barns in the future. It was the cold and rainy weather of the last spring month that promised a good harvest. Even counted the amount of rain this month. It was believed that how many of them will spill onto the earth, so many will be productive years ahead.
Summer is red, and all that it carries with it
But here the capricious and changeable spring was replaced by fine summer days. For experienced and experienced people, omens of harvest are also a lot of information. Experts authoritatively recommend paying special attention to June 10 and 16. On the first of these days, windless weather promises the harvest, and on the second, wind, and preferably southern. Here it is important not to confuse anything, so as not to mislead yourself or others.
Signs can report not only on the size of the future crop, but also on its quality. For example, the fact that if the weather is dry and warm from June 18 to 20, then the grain in the ears will be coarse, but the rain that happened on the day of Fedot (June 20) is an undoubted harbinger of lean loading.
The main connoisseurs and consumers of cucumbers are waiting with special excitement on July 7 - the holiday of Ivan Kupala. The rich harvest of their favorite product is guaranteed by the abundant morning dew that day. And even if the night before will be stellar, then the assortment of snacks in the winter will be considerably replenished with fungi.
Signs of autumn days
Autumn also does not bypass folk omens for the harvest. In Russia, it was always the time when, summing up the summer work, barns and granaries filled the field, and field work gave way to weddings. But the peasants didn’t leave worries about the future harvest even for a fun walk. And here the weather gave farmers answers to the most important questions of their life.
The picture of autumn rains - dull and joyless for city dwellers, pleased the heart of the peasant. It was she who was the harbinger of the future abundance of the fruits of the earth. This is understandable. The current harvest has been harvested, and the weather is not terrible for him, but for future seedlings, it is important to water the earth with rainwater.
By the way, folk omens for the harvest are evidence of not only popular observation, but also the boundless optimism inherent in it. If you carefully understand them, then it is easy to notice that the vast majority will accept promise good luck and joy. Autumn is a prime example.
The harbingers of the next year’s rich harvest are considered to be: bright stars on the night of October 25 (the day of Saint Prov); slush after the rain on October 30; autumn leaves falling to the ground and turning inside out; dry and prickly first snow; snowflakes lying on the ground and not melting; abundance of snow in November. There seems to be nothing to add here. Some of the above will definitely happen and inspire confidence in the future harvest.
Winter folk signs for the harvest
Optimism with the onset of winter did not leave our ancestors. It was believed that snowy and blizzard December with thoroughly frozen ground and hoarfrost on trees undoubtedly promises a rich harvest of all crops without exception next year. At the same time, it was strongly recommended to pay attention to the weather on December 19, during the holiday of winter Nikola. Hoarfrost on this day was proof of the impending plentiful harvest.
The omens of the crop are diverse and interesting. In the winter, two days before Christmas (old style), the villagers determined the future fertility of the land by how windy this day would be. It is noticed: the stronger the snowstorm blows, the better for the crop. Snowfall on Christmas Eve also promised plentiful shoots. The sun, peering out on January 8, was considered the harbinger of a rich harvest of millet.
Of no small importance was the weather on the eve of the New Year's holiday (also according to the old style). On this day, a lot of necessary and important things were learned in the direction of the wind. If he blew from the south, then the old people said: "Wait for a fruitful year, but hot, and therefore hard for the peasant." The east wind portended an unprecedented abundance of berries and fruits. Here it was necessary to think in advance how to dispose of them. Frost and snow on New Year's Eve foreshadowed good seedlings of grain.
Special signs of December and January
You can not ignore some more folk signs for the harvest. In Russia, in winter, knowledgeable people knew how to predict to the smallest detail what and how it will become ugly in the fields next summer. As early as December 19, in the event of heavy snowfall, they talked about a crop of grasses and, consequently, fat feed for livestock. Sunny and clear weather in the last decade of December foreshadowed, according to them, a good collection of all cultures.
There were no trifles in weather prediction. For example, the color of the clouds sailing through the sky on a winter day on January 19 was of great importance. If they had a dark blue tint, then you could be calm - you won’t be left without bread. But in the presence of light snow-white or, even worse, generally cloudless, clear weather, expect trouble. Summer will be hot and arid, what a harvest.
