Friday 15 July 2016

St Swithin's Day

My brother PJ posted on Facebook this article about St Swithin's Day, which is today. I know nothing about Saint Swithin or Swithun and knew nothing of his feast until today. Apparently, if it rains today, it will rain for forty more days and nights, which is to say by any practical means until the end of summertime. For the record, it rained a good deal today. Not constantly, but it rained. I would tend to believe this old superstition for one simple reason: we are in England after all. It always rains in this country. But in any case, it is very fitting that it is the holy day of a Saxon saint which marks such folkloric forecast.

4 comments:

PJ said...

But did you have kippers for breakfast?

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i never heard of this saint before either. i could live somewhere where it rains everyday. i love rain. i love any weather except for this humid 90's we've had for months. i live in the north for god's sake. we aren't supposed to have this weather.

PJ said...

Of all the places where it rains every day, my favorite is Bergen, Norway. So insanely beautiful, but so expensive.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I learned of St Swithin (and St Swithin's Day) when I was a teenager -- but only because the doctors in that crazy British TV series and book series, "Doctor in the House", worked at St Swithin's Hospital!