Ladybug, along with butterflies and dragonflies, is considered one of the most beautiful and beloved insects. From childhood, people are accustomed to respect ladybugs, and few dare to crush her. A lot of positive signs and beliefs, preserved from ancient times, are associated with them.
Instruction manual
1
You can hardly find a Russian-speaking person who is not familiar with the baby quatrain:
"Ladybug, fly away to heaven, Bring me some bread
Black and white
Just not burnt."
To this day, many superstitions and signs associated with these charming insects have survived. For many peoples, the ladybug was considered a sacred insect, for example, among the British she was considered a servant of the Virgin Mary, hence the name ladybug. Similar beliefs existed among the ancient Slavs, the Slavs worshiped ladybugs.
2
In pagan times, the bright scarlet color of the shell of ladybugs was associated with fire among people, so these arthropods were considered a kind of messengers of the sun god Yarila. It was believed that they bring a rich harvest and new life.
3
Later in Russia, a tradition arose to ask a ladybug who had sat on his hand or on clothes for the upcoming weather. If the bug flies away, it means that the day will be clear, if it remains, it’s a bad weather. There were other signs. So, unmarried girls wondered about marriage. Catching the ladybug, they asked where they would meet the future bridegroom, and how soon they would get married, after which they blew them from the palm of their hand. Young children believed that the number of black specks on the back of a ladybug indicates its age. Adults determined the number of happy months next year by the number of points.
4
“Don’t kill the ladybug - misfortune will turn around” - the old saying goes. Some people tried not to drive away the arrived cows, but only gently push with a blade of grass or carefully blow them away. There was a reasonable basis for such beliefs: ladybugs destroy aphids, therefore this insect provides a huge service to agriculture. In fact, aphids are a real disaster for peasants. Therefore, it was believed that if you find a large cluster of ladybugs in one place - wait for a large crop of rye.
