In Pontus, this month was called Aergitis after the feast of Saint George of Lydda, which was celebrated there on November 3rd.
In Kerasounta, it was known as Ayi-Giorgitis or Ayi-Georgitis.
In the region of Rodopolis, it was called Aergates because during this month all agricultural work came to an end, followed by a period of rest and leisure.
In truth, on November 3rd the Greeks of Pontus celebrated the Translation of the Relics of Saint George the Trophy-bearer.
This time of year was known for the onset of severe cold in Pontus.
There are traditional couplets describing November as the most fearsome month — growling and threatening to drown anyone who dared climb the mountain slopes.
Especially in Ak-Dagh-Maten and its thirty-two villages, it was well known that snow would fall by mid-Aergitis.
The snow would reach one meter in depth and last for five months. It lingered so long that icicles never disappeared from the eaves of the houses, and people used shovels to clear paths through the snow.
In Sourmena, at the same season, fish were so plentiful in the sea that people used to say they could toss them straight from the harbor into the frying pan.
By the book “THE FOLKLORE OF PONTOS”
Writer Elsa Galanidou – Balfousia
