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Candlemas and Groundhog Day on February 2nd

“One Misty Moisty Morning” – A Nursery Rhyme about Cloudy Weather

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Candlemas and Groundhog Day on February 2nd

Sunday, January 29th, 2006

Groundhog Day, the popular American holiday, has it’s roots in the European holiday Candlemas.

Both seem to have developed from an ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc. Imbolc festivities involved lighting fires, in part in honor of Brigid, the Goddess of fertility, love and fire. Imbolc also celebrated the fact that the days would become longer and the sun stronger over the next few months.

Candlemas, Groundhog Day and Imbolc are all celebrated at the mid point between the Winter Solstice and the first day of Spring. They all involve the hope of good weather for the next 6 weeks… the remainder of winter.

I suppose this is why pancakes and crepes are the preferred foods for Candlemas… they’re round and yellow, like the longed for sun.

If you’ve ever wondered why it’s hard to remember how the weather on this day predicts the weather for the rest of the winter, it’s because all of the Candlemas and Groundhog Day sayings are counterintuitive. They say that if the weather is nice on February 2nd the rest of the winter will be colder, more severe. If the weather on the 2nd is crummy, the rest of the winter is supposed to have nice weather.

As for the groundhog, if he sees his shadow, that means it’s a sunny day on February 2nd and the myth is that the rest of the winter will be colder. So we all hope he will not see his shadow and that February 2nd will have miserable weather!

For Christians, Candlemas is the day that candles are blessed in churches. Another symbol of fire! So people put lit candles in their windows in honor of the day.

Lastly, this day is called the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It was believed that after giving birth women were unclean. They had to be purified 40 days after their child was born. Thus Candlemas is 40 days after Jesus was born, when Mary would have been purified.

Here are some rhymes and proverbs for Candlemas and groundhog day…

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight

If on Candlemas Day it be shower and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.

If Candlemas Day be damp and black,
It will carry cold winter away on its back.

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year.

If the groundhog sees his shadow
We will have six more weeks of Winter.
If he doesn’t see his shadow,
We will have an early Spring.

Groundhog Day Half your Hay

(Meaning you’d better have half of your hay left to feed the animals, because you’re only half-way through the winter)

Happy Candlemas and Happy Groundhog Day!

Lisa

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Posted in Candlemas, Countries & Cultures, English Proverbs, France, Germany, Groundhog Day, Holidays Around the World, Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes about Cloudy Weather, Nursery Rhymes about February, Nursery Rhymes about Holidays, Nursery Rhymes about the Months, Nursery Rhymes about the Rain, Nursery Rhymes about the Weather, Nursery Rhymes about the Winter, Proverbs, Rhymes about the Seasons, Rhymes and Sayings about Candlemas, Rhymes and Sayings about Groundhog Day, Rhymes by Theme, Sweden, USA | No Comments »

“One Misty Moisty Morning” – A Nursery Rhyme about Cloudy Weather

Saturday, January 14th, 2006

It’s been wet, rainy, and foggy here in the Northeast. Yesterday, Pam wrote me looking for One Misty Moisty Morning. It’s one of my favorites! So I thought I’d share it with you. Here the version I have, that I sent to Pam…

One Misty Moisty Morning

One misty, moisty, morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
There I met an old man
All clothed in leather,
All clothed in leather,
With a cap under his chin.
How do you do?
And how do you do?
And how do you do again?

Pam was familiar with a different version of One Misty Moisty Morning. She found it in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations and sent it to me. Here it is…

One Misty, Moisty Morning

One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather:
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin–
“How do you do?” and “How do you do?”
And “How do you do?” again!

Many thanks to Pam for reminding me of this delightful rhyme and for sending me the 2nd version!

Come visit Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes for more English Nursery Rhymes.

Meanwhile, if it’s wet near you too, I hope you stay dry!

Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, English Nursery Rhymes, Great Britain, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes about Cloudy Weather, Nursery Rhymes about the Weather, One Misty, Moisty, Morning, Rhymes by Theme, USA | 4 Comments »

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