Fasting Practices in "the Tales of the Twelve Fridays" (19th - early 21st centuries<i>)</i>
The article is devoted to the «tales about 12 Fridays» that were spread in Russia in the 19<sup>th</sup> - early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries and is based on manual and published materials about observance of Friday fasting before the 12<sup>th</sup> feasts of the Christian calendar. Following the abstinence, peasants saw in St Paraskeva (Friday) a reliable patroness and helper in their domestic and private matters.