Prokopiev Day: When the Earth Gives Its BreadJuly twenty-first. In the thick of summer, when the heat hangs over the fields and the ears bend to the ground, in Russia there was a special day - Prokopiev Day, or Prokopiy the Reaper. It was not a noisy holiday with fairs and festivities. This was a day of work, the day of the first harvest, the day when the peasant went out into the field and tied the first sheaf - the beginning of a great and sacred undertaking that determined the life of the entire family for the whole year. Prokopiy's Day was the dividing line that split summer in half: before it - preparation, after - the harvest, which knew no weekends. This was the moment when the earth finally gave its own, and man accepted this gift with reverence and gratitude.Prokopiy in History: Who Was This SaintBehind the folk name Prokopiy the Reaper stands a real historical figure - Saint Prokopiy the Martyr, who lived in the third century in Jerusalem. He was a reader in the church and was arrested and subjected to torture and decapitation during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. His memory is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on July 21. In Russia, however, the day of his memory acquired a special, earthly sound. The saint was seen not only as a heavenly intercessor but also as a protector of fieldwork.Why did he become a \"reaper\"? There are several versions. One of them is a play on words: the name Prokopiy may have been associated with the word \"prokopat\", which meant to begin the harvest among the peasants. Another version is more profound: Saint Prokopiy himself suffered for his faith, as bread suffers and is broken to become food. And in the popular consciousness, he became the one who blesses the first cut with the sickle. Thus, the heavenly martyr turned into an earthly helper without whom it was impossible to step onto the field.Interestingly, the day of Prokopiy was also known as \"the Reaper\". And this is a more accurate name, beca ... Read more