Today I’ve been listening to my windows rattle for it’s said that on St Benedict’s day it’s all about the wind. Or more formally put:
When the wind is on 21 March it will prevail for the summer.
The Transactions of the Devonshire Association (1973)
And it’s been right gusty round our way. And no, that’s not a euphemism. However, there is another breezy proverb concerned with today:
A March wind is the salt that seasons the pulse.
Which I’m going to have to think about some more. Also, if you’ve not sown your peas by midnight tonight, forget it, because:
If the peas are not sown by Benedick
They had better stay in the rick
But then again, today is actually the old St Benedict’s Day, the date of his death. The new, and one hopes, improved, St Benedict’s Day is 11 July. But as for what this means for the pea, the pulse and the wind, I don’t know. Although I’m sure there’s an IBS joke in there somewhere.
Resources
Header: Hare Weathervane – Black Country Metalworks Ltd
Cooper, Q. and Sullivan, P. (1994) Maypoles, Martyrs & Mayhem: 366 Days of British Myths, Customs & Eccentricities, London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Roud, S. (2006) The English Year: A Month-By-Month Guide To The Nation’s Customs and Festivals, From May Day to Mischief Night, London, Penguin Books
