SEPTEMBER 1st CLEANING FRENZY FOR THE GRAIN HARVEST

SEPTEMBER 1ST MARKS THE BEGIN OF THE CHRISTIAN-ORTHODOX CHURCH YEAR. THE FORMER AUTUMN SOWING ALSO BEGAN ON THAT DAY. EARLY MORNING OF EACH SEPTEMBER 1ST, THE HOUSEWIVES HAD TO THOROUGHLY CLEAN THE HOUSES, SWEEP THE TIMBER FLOORING AND LAY THE GOWNS IN THE SUN SO THEY WERE FRESH FOR THE COMING WINTER. (THE REASON FOR THE CLEANING FRENZY WAS THAT ONE BELIEVED THAT THE HARVEST GRAIN WOULD ONLY BE RICH IF THE HOUSE WAS SPICK AND SPAN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.)

SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HOUSEWIVES HAD TO BAKE RITUAL BREADS, WHICH THEY THEN FED THE OXEN. MEANWHILE THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY PREPARED THE PLOW FOR SOWING. THE OXEN, WHICH HAD TO PULL THE PLOWS, EACH GOT A BURNING CANDLE ON THEIR HEAD. THE LADY OF THE HOUSE THEN BLESSED THE OXEN WITH GRAIN AND GAVE THE HUSBAND THE FIRST EGG, WHICH WAS COLOURED RED FOR EASTER. THE EGG WAS BURIED IN THE FIELD WHILE PLOWING TO GRANT FERTILITY.