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St. Swithin’s Day
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Stone statue of Saint Swithun holding a bishop's staff, set in an ornate niche on the exterior wall of the Cathedral of Saint Swithun in Stavanger, Norway. Winchester Cathedral
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Also called:
St. Swithun’s Day
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July
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Stone statue of Saint Swithun holding a bishop's staff, set in an ornate niche on the exterior wall of the Cathedral of Saint Swithun in Stavanger, Norway.
Statue of St. Swithin St. Swithin, statue in the Cathedral of St. Swithin, Stavanger, Norway.

St. Swithin’s Day

weather folklore
Also known as: Saint Swithun’s Day
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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‱History
Top Questions

What happens if it rains on St. Swithin’s Day?

What is the St. Swithin’s Day rhyme?

What is St. Swithin the patron saint of?

Was St. Swithin’s Day mentioned in The Simpsons?

St. Swithin’s 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. Swithin’s 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. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mair.

St. Swithin’s 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.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.