Holidays on this day
- World Water Day
- Baltic Sea Day
- International Taxi Driver Day
- Drip-drip-drip day
- Feeling Young Day
- Fool's Day
Significant events in history
1874 A game of tennis (6+) was played for the first time.
1895 The first ever film screening took place in Paris.
1933 The first concentration camp in Nazi Germany began operating in Dachau.
1943 Tragedy in the Belarusian village of Khatyn during the Great Patriotic War.
1951 The first Central Television Studio in the USSR was created.
Persons
On March 22, 1599, the Flemish artist, master of ceremonial portraits, Anthony Van Dyck, was born.
On March 22, 1905, Soviet theater and film director, screenwriter, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR Grigory Kozintsev was born.
On March 22, 1915, Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, People's Artist of the USSR Georgy Zhzhenov was born.
Folk calendar
Magpies, Forty Forties
The date got its name in honor of the forty Sebastian martyrs – Christian soldiers who accepted martyrdom. All of them were from Cappadocia and served in the Roman army.
Among the people, this day was considered the day of the second meeting of spring (the first was on Candlemas, the third was expected on the Annunciation), one of the biggest holidays of the year. The peasants said that “on Soroka day and night are measured, winter ends, spring begins.” And the harbingers of spring were larks (although, according to legend, 40 different birds flew to Soroki from across the sea).
Housewives baked cookies in the shape of birds from the dough ahead of time, usually 40 pieces – according to the number of martyrs who died. They gave cookies to the children, saying: “The larks have flown in and landed on the children’s heads.” The children climbed onto the roofs, tied the “larks” to poles and called on the birds to come quickly and bring spring. Then the baked goods were crumbled and scattered to the sides.
However, spring could be deceptive – morning frosts were still strong. To protect themselves from “matinee parties,” housewives baked 40 balls from rye or oatmeal flour—“saint magpies, golden colobans.” They were supposed to be thrown out of the window one at a time for 40 days.
We observed the weather that day: if it is warm in Soroca, then it will be the same for another 40 days. The warm wind promised a rainy summer. The first thunder that sounded over the bare forest foreshadowed a hungry year, and the frost at Forty Forty, on the contrary, promised a harvest – especially millet.
Name day on this day
Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey, Afanasy, Valery, Dmitry, Ivan, Irakli, Kirill, Leonty, Mikhail, Natalya, Nikolay, Peter, Sergey, Taras.
Source: Calend.ru.
