by Mauverneen
Happy St. Swithin's Day!
Who? You may well ask. We haven't heard too much about St. Swithin here in the states - if you've heard of him at all. He was the reverend bishop of Winchester in England (you may have heard of Winchester Cathedral) sometime during the Middle Ages.
Saints are usually known for their miracles and good works, and although his reputation is of a kind man, dedicated to serving the needy, apparently the only miracle attributed to St. Swithin during his lifetime was the repair of a basket of broken eggs someone dropped. His notoriety came posthumously. Important people, like bishops, were often buried in tombs inside churches. Swithin requested to be buried outside however, "where the sweet rain of heaven may fall upon my grave". Legend has it that after his remains were moved indoors, there was a great storm and it rained for weeks.
A tradition was born. Whatever the weather on this day, it will be so for the next 40.
"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"
No one takes it seriously, not these days anyway, and no statistics back it up, but it's a bit of fun to keep track to see how close the prediction might come.
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