St Elijah's Day
20 July 2026 — Hear that thunder? Summer and the fields are under good protection!
On 20 July, Eastern Orthodox Christians honour the holy prophet Elijah. In Romania the day is called Sfântul Ilie; it is a church feast tied to the summer harvest. In the Bible, Elijah is a prophet of ancient Israel who was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind after a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared, so in folk belief he became the lord of thunder, lightning and rain. People say that rumbling thunder is the sound of his chariot and that he protects the crops, though he may also send hail. Across the Balkans, many people traditionally avoid field work on this day so that lightning does not strike. In Romania, church services are held and fruit and food are shared for the health of loved ones. The feast falls in midsummer, when storms are frequent. The date, 20 July, is fixed in the civil calendar; churches that follow the Julian calendar mark it on 2 August in the civil calendar. The name Ilinden in Bulgarian also refers to other historic events, but this entry deals only with the church feast.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and thin lines, like a constellation: a drifting storm cloud with a small fiery-edged chariot wheel and a single lightning bolt traced in stars, moving slowly across the night sky
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