Today, the Serbian Orthodox Church and its believers celebrate a holiday dedicated to Blaga Marija, the sister of Ilija Gromovnik. The holiday dedicated to Blaga Marija is also the day of the Eparchy of Budimlje-Nikšić and many other Orthodox institutions. She is highly respected among Serbs, especially among women.
According to folk beliefs, she was the sister of Saint Ilija, and that’s why for possible weather disasters, thunder and hail, the people say that “a brother and sister are talking.”
This day is actually a memorial to Mary Magdalene. She was a native of the mountain regions of Syria, around the city of Magdala, which is why she was named Magdalene. In her youth, she was a sinner, but Jesus delivered her from sins. Later she became his disciple, followed him and listened to his sermons.
By the way, Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the Lives of the Saints as “myrrh-bearer equal to the apostles.” Together with the Most Holy Mother of God, she mourned under the crucified Christ on Golgotha and visited his grave three times.
It belongs to the immovable holidays and although it does not have a “red letter” in the church calendar, on that day, just as on Ognjena Marija and Sveta Petka, nothing is done in the house or in the field, so as not to offend the saint. There is a custom that on this holiday, women should make a wish, light a candle and pray to the saint. The people believe that, if on her holiday, women go to church, pray to her and light a candle, they can ask for the fulfillment of one wish and the saint will certainly not refuse them.
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