What is the holiday of September 29 today? According to the new Julian calendar of the OCU and the UGCC, the Church on this day prayerfully honors the memory of St. Kyriacus the Hermit – one of the oldest and most active hermits of the Palestinian desert, who lived for 109 years and spent almost his entire life in solitude, fasting and prayer. His life is the story of a man who learned to rejoice even in bitter herbs when prayer makes them sweeter. Therefore, thousands of believers today are looking for answers to questions about folk customs of the day, prohibitions, name days and a strong prayer to the saint who lived an age in the desert.
Orthodox holiday of September 29: the life of Saint Cyriacus the Hermit
Saint Cyriac was born in 448 in the Greek city of Corinth in the family of priest John and his wife Eudoxia. A relative of the saint, the Corinthian bishop Peter, seeing that the boy was growing up quiet, sensible and willing to study, made him a reader in the church. Constant reading of the Holy Scripture ignited in the child’s heart love for the Lord and a thirst for a clean, holy life. As soon as Cyriacus became an adult, he secretly went to the harbor at the first opportunity, boarded a ship and set off for Jerusalem to dedicate himself to monastic asceticism.
After worshiping the holy places, the young man stayed for several months in a monastery near Zion in obedience to Abbot Evstorhiy, and with his blessing he went to the desert lavra of Saint Euthymius the Great. After some time, the elder Thomas, a disciple of the great Euthymius, was ordained as the bishop of Alexandria, and the monk Kyriak spent ten years in complete silence. At the age of 37, he was ordained a deacon, and later a priest. When a schism arose between the lavs of Saints Euthymius and Theoktis, Saint Kyriacus, avoiding quarrels and fame, went to the Sutsk Lavra of Saint Khariton – the same one whose memory is commemorated the day before, on September 28. There, among the monks, he was famous for his strict fasting and complete absence of malice: he ate bread and water every other day, read the Psalter every night, interrupting the reading only to participate in midnight mass, and slept very little.
When the monk turned 70 years old, he left the monastery and went to the Natuf desert, taking with him one disciple. The life of the hermits was not easy: their food was only bitter wild herbs, but through the prayer of St. Cyriacus, they lost their bitterness and became fit for food. Five years later, a local resident brought a demon-possessed son to them, and the saint healed him; fame spread about the miracles, and people began to flock to the desert – some for healing, some for advice, some just to look at the ascetic. But the saint sought silence and withdrew to the desert of Ruva, where for another five years he fed only on roots of melagria and young shoots of reeds.
In his 90th year, he settled in the remote desert of Susakim, fifty miles from the Lavra. There, according to church tradition, he was served by a large lion, which protected the old man from robbers, did not touch the visiting brothers, and ate from the hands of the Venerable. One summer, the water in the well dried up, and the saint, after praying, asked for rain – and the downpour filled the storehouse. At the end of his life, two years before his death, Cyriak returned to the monastery and settled in the cave of the monk Chariton. Despite his advanced age, he maintained his cheerfulness: he always stood and sang at the service and was never idle – either praying or working. Before his death, he called his brothers, blessed them all, and quietly departed to the Lord with a prayer, having lived for 109 years.
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What do they pray to Saint Cyriacus the Hermit
Saint Kyriacus is addressed by those who are tired of the noise of the world and are looking for inner peace, as well as everyone who needs endurance in long, imperceptible work.
- About the gift of prayer, which sweetens the bitter – the saint knew how to turn a difficult fate into a feat, and bitter herbs into food.
- About endurance in long trials, about patience in illness, poverty, loneliness and misunderstanding of loved ones.
- About healing from mental ailments – sadness, despair, anger – and from physical diseases, especially those that do not go away for a long time.
- About help in the fight against passions, about the purity of thoughts and heart, about the gift of silence and silence.
- On the protection of travelers and all those who are on a long journey – based on the example of the feat of the saint, who traveled the desert roads all his life.
- About giving health and longevity in work and prayer, about making the last years of life pass in peace and blessing.
Folk traditions September 29: Kyriak Day
In the Ukrainian national calendar, this day is known as Kyriak day. The real autumn cold is already coming to him, and St. Cyriak, who lived in the desert for 109 years, reminds of the main thing: man is not called to wealth, but to prayer and patience. According to an ancient belief, you should not start long journeys to Kyriacus – “whoever goes to Kyriacus, will not reach a foreign land.” The owners were finally finishing harvesting the gardens, preparing the cabbage for fermentation, digging up the potatoes, warming the livestock and repairing the roofs before the rains.
The main tradition of the day is the blessing of the harvest. They baked bread from the new grain, put it in penance near the icon, read a prayer and only after that shared it with relatives: it was believed that the first bread, consecrated on Kyriak, has the strongest healing and talismanic power. Housewives also brought baskets with apples and honey to the yard and blessed the children with them, asking God for health for the whole winter. And on this day, it was customary in the villages to remain silent more than usual: whoever spent the day in silence will gain wisdom by the New Year, because everything that is said in a hurry at Kyriak is “not good”.
Another ancient custom is to distribute alms and bread to the poor: it was believed that a beggar who was fed on this day, like the monk Cyriak himself, would endow the house with God’s blessing. The owners also blessed the field before plowing, baptized the sown grain, asking for the next year’s harvest. And the people also said that one should not talk a lot about Cyriacus and share one’s plans – precisely because the saint lived his whole life in silence, and the day teaches us the same silence.
What absolutely cannot be done on September 29
- You can not quarrel, curse and wish evil – Saint Cyriac was famous for the complete absence of malice, and the day demands the same from everyone.
- One cannot kill snakes and other animals unnecessarily – folk custom considers it a great sin on this day.
- You cannot say many words and share your plans with strangers – the day teaches silence and caution.
- You should not arrange loud parties, dances and weddings – by mid-autumn, the people are already entering a period of fasting and silence.
- One cannot deny alms and food to those who ask – this is how Saint Cyriak lived, sharing the last with the brothers.
- You can’t be sad and despair in your life – 109 years of hard work prove that God’s grace does not depend on age or circumstances.
Folk omens for the weather on September 29
- The first snow fell on the Ascension – the winter will be early, but not harsh.
- A clear and warm day – autumn will be delayed, and winter will be a long time to wait.
- Fog and a heavy sky in the morning – to a rainy and gloomy autumn.
- The cranes have already flown away – expect cold weather in a month.
- The walnut leaves have fallen to this day – the winter will be snowy; remained on the branch – warm and long.
- The web flies in the air and falls to the ground – to good days.
Canonical prayers of the day: troparion, kondak and sincere prayer
Troparion of Saint Cyriacus the Hermit, tone 4:
Following Christ, putting aside everything earthly, you gained an angelic life on earth, deserving of imitating the incorporeal. That is why, father, you drove away the bitterness of old age and passions, wandering in the deserts, god-wise Cyriacus. Pray to Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion of Saint Cyriacus the Hermit, tone 8:
Desert citizen and imitator of angels, miracle worker, God-bearing Cyriacus! By fasting, vigilance and prayer, you have received heavenly gifts, and you heal bodily ailments, and you strengthen the souls of believers who come to you in peace and repentance. Pray for the salvation of our souls.
Sincere prayer to Saint Cyriacus the Hermit (home):
Oh, our holy father Kyriacus, desert dweller and ascetic! You, who from your youth renounced everything earthly and spent your age – one hundred and nine years – in fasting, vigil, silence and work, having nothing but God, look mercifully on us, who pray to you with faith. You, who made bitter herbs sweet with your prayer, make the difficult trials that envelop our fate sweeter for us too. Give us patience in long work, courage in loneliness, purity of thoughts in the midst of the world, health of soul and body to the weak. Ask the Lord for peace for our land, protection for those who are far from home, and the gift of a calm, bright end to each of us, so that, like you, we may go to the Heavenly Father with a prayer on our lips and glorify Him with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.
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FAQ: frequently asked questions about the holiday of September 29
Which church holiday is celebrated on September 29 in a new style?
According to the New Julian calendar, on September 29, the OCU and the UGCC honor the memory of Venerable Kyriak the Hermit, who fought in the deserts of Natuf, Ruva and Susakim near the Lavra of Venerable Khariton and lived for 109 years. Together with him, the prophet Kuppius and the martyrs Dada, Gavintus and Karpyllus are also remembered.
Why is Saint Cyriac called the Hermit?
Because from the age of 70 until the end of his life, he lived in the desert, away from people and the noise of the city, choosing solitude, fasting and continuous prayer. Such a feat is highly honored by the Church as a way to the purest communication with God.
Who celebrates the name day (angel’s day) on September 29?
The following are celebrating their birthdays today: Kyriak (Kyrik), John, Eudoxia, Dada, Gavintus and Karpyllus.
Is today a fasting day?
September 29, 2026 falls on a Tuesday — there is no obligatory fast, any food is allowed. At the same time, the day has a restrained character, and the Church calls for moderation in food, silence and prayer.