St Swithin’s Day – What Is It?
“St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ‘twill rain nae mare”
Let’s hope the recent wonderful weather lasts at least until 15th July. According to legend, if it rains on that day, St Swithin’s Day, it will continue to do so for another forty days. We’re sure you will agree that none of us want that!
The origins of St Swithin’s Day are much disputed, but all sources agree that the date relates to St Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester. Although St Swithun himself died in 862, the legends which have led to the old verse relate to his body being exhumed from the common people’s graveyard in 971. Although he had requested that he be buried with his parishioners, St Swithun’s remains were dug up and moved to Winchester Cathedral when he was named as its patron saint.
According to some of the stories which relate to the origins of St Swithin’s Day, the moving of his body caused such uproar in the heavens that it started raining heavily almost immediately. This deluge continued to rain down on the church continuously for forty days and forty nights. Thus the belief was born that, if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, it will continue to rain for forty days.
Of course, as anyone who has spent any time in the UK will know, there has been no recorded forty-day period of dry weather starting on 15th July, despite numerous dry days on the date itself. Regardless of any saint’s days or superstitions, we suspect emigration may be required before you can experience that sort of weather!
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