Naum day (14/12)

It was no coincidence that Naum’s day in Rus' was called «wise» and they prayed to Saint Naum, asking him to «bring to mind» — to reason and teach.

Once upon a time in Rus' there was a custom on this day to bring children to a teacher who was especially revered, considering his work extremely important and difficult. According to custom, at this time the mother had to wail for her children going to study, because teaching was always accompanied by hammering in the sciences with rods. Even on the first day of meeting with the teacher, he had to reward each of the students with three symbolic lashes. The children had to start each lesson with three prostrations to the teacher and had to obey him unquestioningly.

As a reward for their work, the father and mother brought the teacher a loaf of bread and a towel, into which they tied money as payment for classes. But most often, classes were paid for with food: the student’s mother brought the teacher a chicken, an egg onion, or a pot of buckwheat porridge.

Students had several «rituals» to pass the exam well. For example, these:

1. Before going to the examiners, read three times, do not let them rewrite from your piece of paper: « Just as Sunday is light, so my head is light. How my mother loves me, how my father, grandfather and grandmother love me. Just as they have always cherished and pitied me, so would you, my teachers, feel sorry for me».

2. Read when you go to the exam: «I’m going to the bursa, I’m going to answer a lesson, defend my knowledge. Whatever word he says, everyone would receive praise».



Story «Why Naum» disappeared

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