On October 17, the Orthodox Church remembers the holy martyr Hierotheus of Athens, a disciple of the Apostle Paul.
In the folk calendar, October 17 is Yerofeyev Day, Yerofey Leshegon, Seeing Off Leshy.
According to folk signs, on Yerofeyev's day you can find out when winter will come.
If the first snow falls on this day, real winter will come in forty days.
If the squirrels' fur color changes, the winter promises to be harsh.
If there is frost on the night of Yerofey Leshegon, the beginning of November will be cold.
If horses snort, warm weather is expected; if they snore, bad weather is expected.