The Ice Saints Cometh
You may be familar with the rhyme, "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out".
This is an English proverb which translates as "Never remove your warm outer clothing until May is out/over". The reference to May probably relates to the emergence of the Hawthorn blossom (also known as May blossom), rather than to the month of May - certainly in the south, where we have enjoyed many shorts and t-shirt days already.
As vegetable growers, we use the proverb to remind ourselves that there can still be frosts even in May and to keep the fleece handy to cover potatoes and other tender crops.
Gardeners in France, and indeed a greater part of Europe, have the same misgivings but based on different climatological observations. They have noticed that for a few days in mid-May there is a sudden fall in temperature - especially noticeable after a warm, sunny April. This period is known as les Saints de Glace – the Ice Saints – and coincides with the lunar phase following Easter, known as the la lune rousse (the red moon). Farmers call upon the protection of the saints whose feast days were celebrated during this time to guard their tender young crops from frost.
Traditionally the first Ice Saint was Saint Mamert (Saint Mamertus) who was celebrated on May 11th. May 12th was the feast day of Saint Pancrace (Saint Pancras), followed by the feast of Saint Servais (Saint Servatius) on May 13th. The help of various other saints, including Saint Boniface and Saint Bernardino, is invoked up to 25th May, when the threat of frost is deemed to have passed.
Les Saints de Glace follow the Cavaliers de Froid, otherwise known as the Grands Chevaliers - the cold days as winter passes into spring - whose feast days are from 23rd April to 6th May. This certainly describes the current cool spell we are experiencing now after the many weeks of warm, dry weather!
This is an English proverb which translates as "Never remove your warm outer clothing until May is out/over". The reference to May probably relates to the emergence of the Hawthorn blossom (also known as May blossom), rather than to the month of May - certainly in the south, where we have enjoyed many shorts and t-shirt days already.
As vegetable growers, we use the proverb to remind ourselves that there can still be frosts even in May and to keep the fleece handy to cover potatoes and other tender crops.
Gardeners in France, and indeed a greater part of Europe, have the same misgivings but based on different climatological observations. They have noticed that for a few days in mid-May there is a sudden fall in temperature - especially noticeable after a warm, sunny April. This period is known as les Saints de Glace – the Ice Saints – and coincides with the lunar phase following Easter, known as the la lune rousse (the red moon). Farmers call upon the protection of the saints whose feast days were celebrated during this time to guard their tender young crops from frost.
Traditionally the first Ice Saint was Saint Mamert (Saint Mamertus) who was celebrated on May 11th. May 12th was the feast day of Saint Pancrace (Saint Pancras), followed by the feast of Saint Servais (Saint Servatius) on May 13th. The help of various other saints, including Saint Boniface and Saint Bernardino, is invoked up to 25th May, when the threat of frost is deemed to have passed.
Les Saints de Glace follow the Cavaliers de Froid, otherwise known as the Grands Chevaliers - the cold days as winter passes into spring - whose feast days are from 23rd April to 6th May. This certainly describes the current cool spell we are experiencing now after the many weeks of warm, dry weather!
Submitted by Tigger
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