Archive for the 'Nursery Rhymes about the Rain' Category
Contents
Posts
A Rain Rhyme that Involves Baking a Cake
Thursday, November 12th, 2009Here’s a rain rhyme from Northumberland that reminds us that rainy weather is a good opportunity to stay indoors and cook!
Rain, rain, go away,
And come again another day,
When I brew and when I bake,
I’ll give you a little cake.Stay dry!
Mama Lisa
PS You can tell it’s raining where I am and that I’m considering baking something yummy!
Candlemas and Groundhog Day on February 2nd
Sunday, January 29th, 2006Groundhog 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 flightIf 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
A Nursery Rhyme, a Children’s Song and a Poem about the Rain
Saturday, October 15th, 2005Today the sun is finally shining here in New York! Hurray! But, the rain and flooding made me lose my internet connection for the past 24+ hours (the horror!!!) so here’s yesterday’s posting…
Friday, October 14, 2005
It’s raining for the seventh day here in New York. A couple of days ago, it was a bit warmer. My daughter couldn’t wait to use her Sesame Street umbrella. So I let her go out back with my son and just play in the rain. It was a nice moment, and it reminded me of my own childhood, splashing through puddles.
So, here’s a very popular rain song from when I was a child in the seventies. It’s still sung by children today…
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again some other dayNowadays I’ll add…
Lila and Mommy want to play,
So come again some other day.Here’s a funny poem about rain that I found…
The Rain
The rain it raineth every day,
Upon the just and unjust fella,
But more upon the just, because
The unjust hath the just’s umbrellaHere’s one last one, an amusing Mother Goose nursery rhyme…
Doctor Foster went to Gloucester*
Doctor Foster went to Gloucester
In a shower of rain,
He stepped in a puddle,
Right up to his middle,
And never went there again.*Gloucester is pronounced as “gloster” and rhymes with Foster.
Hope all you readers out there are staying dry, or even better, that you have nice weather!
If anyone would like to send me a poem, rhyme or song about the rain. I’d be happy to post it here. Please email me.
Come visit Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes for more Mother Goose Rhymes about the rain.
I, personally, will be looking for songs and rhymes about the sun!
-Lisa
________
Help Support
Mama Lisa's World!
$5, $10, $25
or any amount welcome!