The Old Farmer’s Almanac I received as a Christmas gift includes a bit on “Ember Days”. I had not heard the term since my Dad many, many years ago duly noted the weather on such days to predict future weather conditions. The “Days” are rooted in early Church history and are identified as the Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent; those 3 days of the week following Pentecost; those 3 days following September 14 (the Feast of the Holy Cross); and, those 3 days following December 13 (The Feast of St. Lucia). Folklore has it, and my Dad respected it, that the Wednesday following the first Sunday in Lent predicted the weather for the following month. This year it will be March 16th forecasting weather for April, the 17th for May and the 19th for June. Those 3 Ember Days in each quarter predicted weather for the following 3 months and led to predictions for the full 12 months of the year. I have already noted the dates in my calendar and will be watching them this year. This system has the flexibility of being applicable wherever you live.
No comments:
Post a Comment