Gary Stocker shares old lore relating to February:
“February fill dyke, black or white”
In other words, February is a wet month. So ditches will get filled with either snow or rain.
“February makes a bridge and March breaks it.”
A bridge of ice which March thaws out.
“As the days lengthen, So the cold strengthens.”
“A dry Lent means a fertile year.”
Source: “Weather Forecasting The Country Way” by Robin Page.
“If February bring no rain,
‘Tis neither good for grass nor grain.”
“All the months of the year, Curse a fair Februeer”.
“In February, if thou hearest thunder,
Thou shalt see a summer wonder.”
Source: “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” by Edith Holden, page 13
February 24th is St Matthias Day:
“St Matthie sends sap into the tree.
St Matthias sows both leaf and grass.”
Source: “Discovering Saints in Britain” by John Vince, page 44
Some superstitions related to Shrove Tuesday:
There are a few customs around Warwickshire associated with it. On Shrove Tuesday bell ringers would sound the bells at the start of the day and then ring the pancake bell to warn the faithful to come to be shriven (to obtain absolution) at the church. Although in Ilmington it came to mean that the parish clerk was on his rounds around the local farms to collect his pancakes. He and five ringers did it and sang,
“Link it, Lank it
Gie me a pank it.”
They collected them in a flannel lined basket.
Clipping the church was another one in some places. In Birmingham, up until the 1800’s, charity school pupils would link hands around the church (now the cathedral) of St Philip, clipping or embracing it.
If you are having pancakes, it is better luck to eat them before 8pm.
About the author
Gary Stocker graduated from Coventry Polytechnic in 1991 with a degree in combined engineering. He worked in civil engineering for nearly twenty years. For the last six years he has worked in materials science and currently works as a test engineer. His hobbies and interests include voluntary work, conservation work and blacksmithing. He is also interested in history, mythology and folklore and he says, “most things”.
How did your granny predict the weather? What did your great uncle Albert tell you about the little green men he saw in the woods that night? What strange creature stalks the woods in your area?
So many of these old stories are slipping away for want of being recorded. legendary creatures, odd bits of folklore, folk remedies and charms, and all the old stories that brought our landscape to life…
Tell me a story, share memories of the old ways that are being forgotten, share the folklore of your home. I am not looking for fiction with this feature, but for genuine bits of folklore, old wives tales, folk magic and local legends. Why not share what you know and preserve it for the future?
Email me at findme@scvincent.com and put ‘Living Lore’ in the subject line. All I need is your article, bio and links, along with any of your own images you would like me to include and I’ll do the rest.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 