Today, January 12, in Ukraine several important dates are combined at once - church, state and international. For Christians it is the day of honoring Saint Tatiana, for the country - the date of remembrance of Ukrainian political prisoners, and in the world - a number of unofficial but popular holidays.
According to the new church calendar of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, on January 12, believers honor the holy martyr Tatiana of Rome, who is considered the patroness of women, students, and those seeking spiritual support. Archbishop Sava of Serbia, one of the most respected figures of Slavic Christianity, is also remembered on this day. According to the Julian calendar, today is the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Anisia of Thessalonica.
In the Ukrainian calendar, this date has a special, mournful significance. January 12 is celebrated as the Day of the Ukrainian Political Prisoner. It was on this day in 1972 that the Soviet authorities began a large-scale wave of arrests of Ukrainian intellectuals. Vyacheslav Chornovil, Vasyl Stus, Ivan Svitlychny and dozens of other representatives of the "sixties" movement were detained in Kyiv and Lviv. They were accused of fabricated crimes and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
The idea of honoring this date was proposed by Vyacheslav Chornovil himself. In Soviet times, it was celebrated unofficially by relatives of the repressed and dissidents. After the start of the war with Russia, January 12 in Ukraine also became a day of solidarity with citizens illegally held captive by the Russian Federation.
In addition, several informal holidays are celebrated around the world today. Among them are Marzipan Day, Chicken Curry Day, Hot Tea Day, Desk Clean-up Day, Gluten-Free Baking Day, and even Kiss the Redhead Day. These dates are more of an entertaining and symbolic nature, but are widespread in many countries.
In the folk calendar, January 12 is known as Tatyana's Day. There are many signs associated with this date. It is believed that if sparrows are actively chirping, a thaw will soon come, and if there is a blizzard, February will be frosty. People also observed which trees were most covered with snow to predict the fruit harvest in the fall.
Traditionally, on this day, it is customary to make a wish and do a good deed - help a person, an animal, or those in need. It was believed that Saint Tatiana helps those who combine prayer with good deeds.
There are also prohibitions. On January 12, it is not recommended to quarrel, insult others, show stinginess or anger. In folk beliefs, this day was associated with the purification of thoughts and actions, so alcohol was considered undesirable.
