
The Christian explanation is here: Many do not know why Alexis is called "Man of God"? In the Life of Saints is said that the Rev. Alexis was born in Rome to a pious family. His father Euthymianus was a senator. St. Alexis was a healthy child, he studied diligently and well. When he became of adult age, he decided to devote himself to the sacred service. However his parents were upset because they wanted to marry him to a female of the royal blood. So it came to pass that left alone after the wedding, Alexis talked to his wife and they decided that he would leave home. He boarded a ship, which sailed to the East and arrived in the Syrian Laodicea. Then he got into the city of Edessa. Giving away all his left belongings, this young man now dressed in rags begged for charity at the Church of Our Lady. He imparted the knowledge of the Holy Mysteries every Sunday among the new believers. Alexis did not sleep at night but prayed and ate just bread and water. Seventeen years Reverend Alexis spent in Edessa begging. When the inhabitants of Edessa started to respect him, he secretly left the city.
He set out to get to the town of Tara in Asia Minor, the homeland of the Apostle Paul. But the ship on which he was sailing got into a bad storm and blown off course, and finally wandered and eventually arrived on the shores of Italy near Rome. Seeing this and giving it consideration, St. Alexis went to the house of his father, because he was convinced that he would not be recognised. Father did not recognise his son and just gave him a charity and allowed him to live in the yard of the house. Alexis spent there 17 years, eating just bread and water. All this time he was suffering from the servants’ reproaches in different forms, all of which he sustained.
When the day of his death approached, he wrote a letter of explanation, squeezing it into his hand, he lay down and died, it happened on 17th March in the year 411. In the Church of the Holy Apostles at that time was a revelation in the form of voice, which in the presence of the patriarch and the king said, look for a man of God. After some time, it became known that the man of God is in the house of Euthymianus. Patriarch and the king, accompanied by a lot of people came to the house to Euthymianus.
After long questioning, it became obvious that the beggar was the man of God. When they entered his hut to see him, he was dead, but his face was bright as the sun. The parents from the letter realised that Alexis was their son, and they plunged into immeasurable sorrow and depression. But when they saw the Lord glorified their son into sainthood, they consoled themselves. The sick were healed by touching only his body, because his body shed holy ointment. His body was buried in a marble ark decorated with emerald. So, thanks to the harsh life of modesty, faith, no aspirations to become a famous person, the Reverend St. Alexius became known among Christians as the man of God.
Customs, traditions and superstitions
Earlier the holiday on 17th March was an important day; it was to some extent a border in the calendar. And St. Alexis considered a patron of all hibernating beings underground, under the bark of trees, in hollows, under stones. So after half a year after the Day of the Cross, which is celebrated on 14th September, according to the belief, St. Alexius Earth covers the Earth in order to protect people from the damage that can cause small creatures. On 17th March according to the legend St. Alexis warms and opens the earth so that all creatures freed from their hibernation and the soil is prepared for ploughing.
Alexis the Warm is considered the lord of snakes, because 17th March is associated with a snake and was called – the Snake Day. According to legend if on Alexis day you meet a snake, do not need to kill it because you can get into trouble throughout year. People said that if there was a snake in front of you in any other day of March, it must be killed or it will take your vitality.
Ion Creanga described a magical ritual treatment of low back pain: it is good to see the snake for the first time in spring time. On the day of St. Alexius you must intoxicate the snake but not to kill it, so as it could not bite humans. Then is needed to undress and encircle it your waist, then take the snake and buried it in a hole and put three cloves of garlic with it and say then when the snake eats garlic, let the pain come back to me.
On the day of the Snake tried not to call its name, so that it was gracious to you the whole summer. If someone accidentally uttered the word snake, it was necessary to say an invocation. In some regions, people did a big fire in a pit and poured water into a pot and put there a piece of polenta. It was done so that the snake could eat and drink and not coming out of the pit all summer. According to the beliefs it is forbidden to take sharp objects in hands, as it was believed that people throughout the year will see only snakes.
People believed that St. Alexis had many faces. According to legend due to the fact that people were suffering from insects, God decided to collect them all in shrine and told Alexis to throw them all into the sea. Reaching the point of destination, St. Alexis could not control his curiosity, and he discovered the shrine. Thus all the insects again spread all over the world. Alexis disobeyed God, for this he was turned into a stork and he should gather all insects from 17th March to 14th September. In the legend, there is some piece of truth, as close to this day cranes returned from warm countries, and by all means people are trying to hold them in their homes.
Also people call this holiday as "Hives day." Bees on the day of the Warm Alexei must for the first time fly around the hive that is waking from a long hibernation. On this day, people exposed the hives for the apiary. If it was still cold hive beekeepers walked around the hives and listen carefully what is happening inside of them.
Another name for this holiday is - the Day of Fisherman as the fish begins to wallow in reservoirs. Fishermen said that St. Alexis brings fish from the depths where it overwinters onto the surface. They usually fasted all day or caught a small fish that eat alive after an invocation, hoping for an abundant fishing throughout the year.
Usually, on Alexis Day peasants did fires. This cleansing ritual was a symbol of purity and the owners helped the sun to overcome the moment of the vernal equinox. At dawn people swept courtyards, gardens and orchards and burned garbage. It was considered a good sign of fumigation the yard and garden this morning with incense and basil. Fires were done in the midst of the garden or vegetable garden, because it was believed that it will be protected from insects and animals and people will save from snakebites.
Today, in some villages people preserved folk tradition of celebrating St. Alexis, tightly linking it with religious substrate.