‘Blackthorn winter’ is upon us
Remember April? It was a little wet in the east, but overall, it was a pretty good month. Average temperatures for the month were slightly above normal.
So far, May is not holding its end of the bargain: early last week, I had to dig out the wind chill chart, it snowed in a few communities on the weekend, and across the region, temperatures are unseasonably cool.
As the daylight hours grow, we become impatient: gardeners worry about frost, golfers are sick of seeing their breath when they look up to follow the ball and, well, we’re tired of tugging on our toques.
Grandma would never get excited about early May warmth until after the middle of the month.
Have you ever heard of the Three Chilly Saints?
Meet Mamertus, Pancras and Gervais, the saints who celebrate their feasts each year on May 11, 12 and 13. The three became known in weather lore for predicting what were traditionally the three coldest days of the month.
Grandma used to say, “The Chilly Saints do not pass without a frost.”
In Europe’s not-too-distant past, parts of the continent remained rather cold through the middle of May, making planting before then quite risky. German and Swiss lore refers to mid-may as ‘Iceman Days’; farmers knew better than to plant delicate seedlings before the Icemen had come and gone.
The English and French saw the Three Chilly Saints as harbingers of a late spring frost. These are also known as the Ice Saints or Frost Saints; their three days are sometimes called “blackthorn winter.”
People of medieval Europe who worked the land often measured time by observing nature and the church calendar. We do something similar here in Canada. Our Victoria Day weekend is often said to be the date after which it is safe to plant early crops. In the same way, the Three Chilly Saints days guided planters in their work.
Iceman Days wrap up on Thursday. According to Grandma, we should be OK after that, but there are never any guarantees. I’ve met gardeners who won’t put seedlings out until after the full moon in June. Those gardens will be late this year; June’s full moon is not until the 24th!