Celebrating Nine Healers: Customs and Commemorations Today
Celebrating the Nine Healers: A Traditional Festival Held on May 12 (Old Style: April 29)
Delve into the church calendar and you'll find a day dedicated to the Nine Holy Martyrs of Cyzicus—a group of individuals whose memories are honored on this day. The troupe includes Theognius, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichus, Artemius, Magnus, Theodotus, Favamius, and Philimon.
Time-honored Traditions and Prayers
On this day, people flock to plead for healing from physical ailments and protection from epidemics to these venerated martyrs. During this time, a unique incantation is recited to ward off nine types of misfortune, said to possess healing and protective powers.
A tale is spun about God drawing a human figure on the sand, which the devil dishes out injuries upon, marking out different illnesses. By creating eleven herbs, each endowed with the ability to mend seventy-seven diseases, God demonstrated his curative prowess.
Mythical Folklore and Superstitions
When an oriole's cry resonates like a cat's meow, rain is on its way. Ants marching to dry, solid ground in large numbers signify extended periods of rain. An upsurge of May beetles foretells arid weather. To maintain health throughout the year, simply stand at high noon on a road and face the warm wind.
Sources: my-calend.ru
Festival Insights Across the Globe
While specific details for the "Nine Healers Festival" remain elusive, it's enlightening to explore healing and folklore-related festivals worldwide. Take, for example, the Manisa Mesir Paste Festival in Turkey, a five-hundred-year-old tradition highlighting a healing secret recipe involving 41 spices and botanicals. Moved by a healing story, the event represents a message of cultural unity [3].
Sangomas, revered healers among the Zulu people of South Africa, diagnose illnesses and prescribe treatments, frequently performing curative rituals [4]. The Kumbh Mela in India, with roots in a myth about gods and demons vying for immortality, celebrates at four sacred sites, signifying a custom of spiritual renewal and healing [5].
[1] - Vat Purnima (India)[2] - Matsu Pilgrimage (China)[3] - Manisa Mesir Paste Festival, Turkey (www.getyourguide.com)[4] - Sangoma (Zulu)[5] - Kumbh Mela (India)
The fusion of science and health-and-wellness is evident in the unique incantation, said to possess healing and protective powers, that is recited during the "Nine Healers Festival." This ties back to the Sangomas of the Zulu people in South Africa, who use ancientknowledge and traditional practices to diagnose illnesses and prescribe treatments.
