On this day (September 27) - according to the Orthodox calendar, we observe the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross, popularly known as Krstovden (Day of the Cross).
Krstovden is a holiday marked by fasting "for the cross." Older women go to church, where the priest distributes small bouquets that are kept "for health" and as a "cure against the evil eye" (Bulletin of the Ethnological Museum; Skopje, 1960).
This holiday arrives during the period when summer gradually gives way to autumn. In the agricultural tradition, it marks the completion of certain fieldwork, the harvest, and preparations for the autumn and winter cycles.
On this day in the Skopje region, a priest would read prayers for a bountiful harvest and bless the seeds for the new planting season. When sowing began, the farmer would first cast the blessed seeds, believing this would ensure a rich yield. In the Skopje area, Krstovden also marked the beginning of the grape harvest (Dictionary of Macedonian Folk Mythology; Tanas Vrazhinovski; 2002).
In traditional culture, major holidays were not just days dedicated to church celebrations. They were milestones in the annual cycle—moments when people recognized the changing of nature and harmonized their daily lives with the rhythm of the year.