St. Swithinâs Day
St. Swithinâs Day, (July 15), a day on which, according to folklore, the weather for a subsequent period is dictated. In popular belief, if it rains on St. Swithinâs Day, it will rain for 40 days, but if it is fair, 40 days of fair weather will follow. St. Swithin was bishop of Winchester from 852 to 862. At his request he was buried in the churchyard, where rain and the steps of passersby might fall on his grave. According to legend, after his body was moved inside the cathedral on July 15, 971, a great storm ensued. The first textual evidence for the weather prophecy appears to have come from a 13th- or 14th-century entry in a manuscript at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Weather frequently changes around midsummer, and, thus, the tradition that this day influences the weather may stem from earlier, possibly pre-Christian, belief. On the European continent similar beliefs are attached to other saints (e.g., St. MĂ©dard, June 8, France).
A popular rhyme about the superstition regarding rain on the holiday is:
St. Swithinâs day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithinâs day if thou be fair
For forty days âtwill rain nae mair.
St. Swithinâs Day has occasionally been mentioned in pop culture. In a 1994 episode of the TV show The Simpsons, Bart writes a play that mentions the holiday.