Christians mark St. Andrew Saturday, by Julian Calendar

On Saturday, December 13, the Orthodox Christians from Moldova, who guide themselves by the Julian calendar in religious matters, celebrate Saint Andrew the first called. According to the Gospel, the two brothers, the Apostles Peter and Andrew were from Bethesda, a city on the bank of the Genezaret Sea, and were fishermen. John's Gospel says Andrew first was a disciple of John the Baptist, who told him to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus, saying he found Messiah (John 1,35-42). That is where his characterization 'the first called' comes from. At the Apostolic Synod in 49 or 50 C.E. in Jerusalem, the Apostles decided where to go for missions and the lots had it that Apostle Andrew had to go to Scythia Minor (today's Dobrogea (Romania)). Returning from his mission to Greece, he went to the city of Patras. He died there as a martyr, being crucified on an X-form cross. He is the patron saint of Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sicily, Greece and Russia. On November 30, the ancient Dacians celebrated a big pagan god personifying the wolf and used to mark the new year, but the Christian placed Saint Apostle Andrew over it, while the name of the usurped god vanished in time. Still, the Romanians have not fully got rid of the old customs venerating the wolf, since especially the youths go no making divination rituals to guess their future bride or groom on the night from 12 to 13 December.