The date of the Beheading of the head of the prophet John the Baptist in the Orthodox Church calendar is September 11th. On this day, the church charter prescribes strict fasting abstinence.
There is an opinion among the people that on the Day of the Beheading of the Head of the Great Prophet of God John it is unacceptable to eat round or oval vegetables (fruits). Some even believe that all rounded foods are forbidden for eating as food. Proponents of this belief draw a link between the murder of John the Baptist by truncating the head and food that resembles the head. Most often, such superstition can be heard from the elderly.
The “forbidden” foods are primarily watermelons and other red fruits or vegetables. The watermelon itself supposedly resembles a head, and the color indicates blood
Such superstition is alien to the Orthodox worldview. Moreover, comparing the honest head of the prophet with fruits and vegetables is a sin of sacrilege, an unacceptable idea for an Orthodox person.
The Christian should refrain from sinful amusements, idle words, profanity and other passions on such a holy day. The church charter does not prohibit the tasting of products that fit the folklore description. It is unacceptable to eat meat, dairy, fish products - that is, on the day of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist, an ordinary strict fast is laid.
Eating watermelons, other vegetables or fruits is not prohibited by the Church Charter. Therefore, a Christian should not take into account such blasphemous comparisons on the day of September 11 and thereby desecrate the memory of the great prophet of God.
