Tomorrow, 25th January is St Paul's day and Burn's Night and also celebrates a Welsh saint too - St Dwynwen's Day - Wales' patron saint of lovers. According to my book Everyday Folklore couples might peer into Dwynwen's Well and have a look for the fortune telling eels and if they can see them their relationship will last.
According to my Book of Saints January 25th actually commemorates The Conversion of St Paul. A man who hated and persecuted Christians. He was on his way to Damascus to seize the Christians there and bring them to Jerusalem for punishment when the famous conversion took place.
It's another Saint's Day with lots of weather lore attached. In the past they thought it could even affect political events.
If St. Paul's Day be fair and clear,
It doth betide a happy year;
But if by chance it then should rain,
It will make dear all kinds of grain;
And if the clouds make dark the sky,
Then neate* and fowls this year shall die;
If blustering winds do blow aloft,
Then wars shall trouble the realm full oft.
* Neate is an old word for cattle
Also
St Paul fair with sunshine
Brings fertility to rye and wine
It's party night up north of the border and in many other towns and cities here and overseas to celebrate the birthday of poet Robert Burns in 1759. Hope everyone enjoys their Haggis, neeps and wee drams of whisky.
If things are still the same and blogger is not letting me reply to comments today or tomorrow, I'm apologising in advance! Of course it might have righted itself - who knows.
Have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday.
There seems to be some form of glitch with blogger on some platforms at the moment - as of yesterday I was not able to access my photos to input into a post when trying to post from safari browser - it was simply telling me it could not access my Google account. I wonder whether your comment itustion is connected.
ReplyDeleteAll back to normal today on blogger - thankfully.
DeleteMy comments were hard to manage yesterday as well. Ok today though, fortunately .
DeleteWell Sue I woke up this morning at 8.am unusual for me I’m usually an early bird. It was light and the sun was shining 🙂 It put me in such a good mood, it has been so grey and wet lately. Then I read about St Paul’s Day! I await with trepidation!! Thanks also for your book reviews, I have just finished Red Shore by William shaw, thoroughly enjoyed it. June
ReplyDeleteNext in the William Shaw series due out in July. I'm going to try some of his others
DeleteAh, we can comment again. Not celebrating Burns Night, but I shall lift a cup of tea to St Dwynwen.
ReplyDeleteA tad worrying that St Paul's Day here has bought gales and rain . . .
Tomorrow is the day to check the weather, which is a pity as today has been sunny and dry! Oh well
DeleteBlogger is being very strange at the moment!
ReplyDeleteWee drams of whiskey appeal in this weather.
Alison in Devon
I always think I've done something wrong when blogger plays up but it usually sorts itself out.
DeleteWe shan't be addressing the haggis in this house, but some of our friends will.
ReplyDeleteI've never eaten Haggis - it doesn't appeal at all!
DeleteThat's a lot of celebrations for one day isn't it! Blogger is definitely blipping at the moment.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be behaving today - thank goodness.
DeleteSt. Paul does not predict good things for us because on Sunday a very big storm is to arrive in MA. It has span from Texas to Maine. The prediction is for below freezing temperatures and 12-18 inches of snow in MA. Today is very cold and sunny with a bright blue sky. In one day, the weather can turn quickly.
ReplyDeleteYour predicted weather has made the news here - Stay safe it sounds bad
Delete"Dwynwen" -- now THERE's a name we don't hear much anymore.
ReplyDeleteYour post sent me scurrying for information because if asked, I would have said Paul was one of the original 12 disciples. But I see that you're correct -- he was not.
and unpronounceable by anyone except a Welsh speaker!
DeleteInteresting bits of things the day represents. Too cold here to even think of celebrating anything, and Burns Day is a very special day to our Legion members.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Hope the weather isn't too bad for you - stay safe.
DeleteI think blogger was giving everyone fits!
ReplyDeleteWell, if the rhyme is to be believed, "wars will trouble the realm full oft". Of course, a great deal of the blustering wind would stop if some mighty men in this world would simply shut their yaps.
We wish every news bulletin here didn't start with his latest pronouncement!
DeleteStay safe in that huge snowfall you are getting