Saint Swithin's Day
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How many people have heard of Saint Swithin? He was a Saxon bishop of Winchester who on his deathbed, according to legend, wished to be buried outdoors. For nine years his grave was situated outdoors but then his body was moved to an elaborate shrine inside the Winchester Cathedral. During the ceremony a huge storm whipped up reflecting the bishop's despair.
In later times a myth developed around Saint Swithin that if rain falls on his memorial day - 15th July - then rain will continue to fall for the next 40 days. But if the weather is fine on the 15th, the next 40 days will also be fine. There is even a rhyme to explain this:
St Swithin's Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin's Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more
There are lots of myths and old wives' tales about predicting the weather. For example, killing a spider will make it rain the next day, snow will fall when the cat washes behind both ears, 'when the chairs squeak, it's of rain they speak', if you sneeze three times within a few seconds, the next day will be sunny. There are many, many more like these - how many do you know?
What is the weather like today - will we be seeing a month of rain or sun? Can there be any truth in these myths about the weather when science and meteorology experts can't always get it right? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
