Saint Ilie - The Paradise' messenger who throws thunders and lightings.
He lived in the IXth cycle before Christ. Then the ruler of Israel was the emperor Ahab who followed the evil emperors who ruled before him in worshiping idols. Ilie seeing so much inconsideration towards the true belief and so much blindness and darkness inspired by God's grace went before Ahab and after he warned him against his madness and his worshiping of idols he menaced both him and the people blinded and betrayed by him that thy will be punished by God with a terrible disaster: "During these years won't fall any rain drop." At his words the sky was locked up and a great dryness came upon the earth so that no raindrop falls down from the sky for three years and a half. Than there were no crops, there was hunger and lack of food so the people and the animals were suffering. Ahab threatened Ilea with death. Because of that the prophet Ilea was obligated to stay hidden until the dry years passed. His hideout was first near a watercourse. There was feed by the ravens, which brought him bred diary. He also stayed in widow's house from Fenice. There was also feed properly because the little flour and oil that was possessed by that widow lasted all the time Ilea stayed in her house. Ilea brought back to life the dead child of that widow. Ilea foresee a terrible death for Emperor Ahab and his Wife, which also happened. The Saint didn't die; he rose to the sky in a burning chariot on 20th of July when he is celebrated.
The miracles he did during his life made him a Saint. Saint Ilea, warier saint from the orthodox calendar was given by the people the attributes of the thunder and lightning gods. Like them he drives a fire chariot and during the storms he throws his lightings towards devils and sinners. His chariot has two or four white winged horses. In the sky, saint Ilea runs through clods, he throws thunders and lightings. Scared the devils hide on the earth, in the trees, under houses 'ruffs, the towers of the churches and even in animals bodies especially in cats and dogs. Not wanting to spear any demon the saint throws lightings and thunders against trees people, cows, houses, churches, in which demons are hiding.
Thy say that when he was young he throws so strong thunders and lightings that it could kill a child in a mother's womb and the calf within a cow. In order for him not to destroy the world God and the Virgin left him without the right hand, make him deaf and also left him without an eye. Even though he continues to scare out devils holding the wipe in his left hand. It is best that during a storm the windows and the doors to be shut so that no devil could be able to crawl inside and the house to be hit by a lightning. The devil prefers the carpet so that is best not to have a house built from this kind of wood or to take refuge under this kind of tree. During the storm is best to stay in clearings, better to be wet because all the devils are looking for refuge. You must make the sign of the cross often because when God gave the wipe to saint Ilea he told him: "Ilea, you should hit everything but not the new cross." Romanian costumes during Saint Ilea's Day's eave During Saint Ilea's eave the girls go in places where there is hemp. They take off their cloths and they roll over the hemp, after tat they dress themselves quickly and they go back at home to sleep. If during the night they will dream green hemp that means that they will marry strong men, if they will dream dray hemp that means they will marry old men. During the dawns they were picking medicine herbs that they were taken home and they would be put to dray on the veranda or inside the house.
They were picked up other plants considerate to be good for spells, once drayed they were sprinkled with the blood of a crane killed on top of tem. So wished the plants could be used by the witch. On the day of the saint Ilea the women bring to the churches sweet basil and they put it at the iconostas. At the end of the mesa they take it home, they burn it and with its ashes they rub their children's mouths when they have swellings. The apple is the saint Ilea's tree so no new apple can be eaten until this day. If a thunder is heard this day the peen apples will be dray and all the other fruits will have worms. During Saint Ilea's Day the altar in the church is full of much kind of foods for the dead. In some villages women bring to the church milk and wine and they make feasts for the dead. The apples are brought first to the church because there is the belief that only this way they will become golden on the other world. If this custom is not preserved the one who eats apples before the Saint's Day will pick up apples on the other world for ever but when he will want to eat them the fruits will vanish in front of him. Some women will give also boiled corn but also plates of food decorated with summer flowers. The cups with water are decorated also with flowers banded with red wool. Before this Day the customs for calling the rain are finished.