Sânmedru Painting
100x160cm, acrylics on canvas
Considered a god in the Romanian Pantheon, Sânmedru is the patron of pastoral winter, celebrated on October 26, representing the death of all vegetation and the overtaking of winter and cold. The death of the saint at the end of October overlapped the peasant mentality of the death of nature and, thus, the year is divided into two symmetrical parts: the summer season (with the center of time at St. Elijah – July 20) and the winter season (with the center of time at Sâmpetru of Winter – November 16).
Saint Demetrius is also considered the patron saint of shepherds. It is the day when the shepherds find out what the winter will be like. They place their sheepskin coat in the middle of the sheep herd and wait to see which sheep will sit on it. If a black sheep lies down, the winter will be good, and if a white sheep lies down, the winter will be harsh.
