The day St. Bart lost his head
by cindy day
The Halifax Daily News (Nova Scotia)
August 23, 2006 Wednesday
Let me tell you about St Bart. Tomorrow is Aug. 24. We’ll be one
week away from the end of the month, and exactly four months away
from Christmas Eve. If you don’t like the sound of that, then let’s
focus on the fact that tomorrow is also St Bartholomew’s Day.
He certainly wasn’t one of the more popular saints, but one that
Grandma talked about every August; she never passed up an opportunity
to share his story. I used to wonder if Grandma made these things up,
but I’m constantly meeting people who confirm her lovely weather tales.
According to Grandma, St. Bartholomew was an ordinary saint, but an
extraordinary Apostle, who converted the King of Armenia. The king’s
brother had the Apostle flayed first, and then beheaded … on Aug.
24.
For days leading up to the 24th, Grandma prayed each night for good
weather on St. Bart’s Day. If anyone asked why, she was quick to
recite: "If the 24th of August be fair and clear, then hope for a
prosperous Autumn that year."
Now that’s not the only bit of folklore surrounding the beheaded
saint. There are many people who believe that St Bart’s Day brings
in the cooler autumn weather: "At St Bartholomew, there comes a cold
dew." According to the old pagan calendar, Autumn started August 24th
and ended November 22nd.
By the way, last year it was partly sunny and warm … and , as you
may recall, we did enjoy a lovely autumn. Tomorrow looks like a lovely
day, so we should count on another great fall in the Maritimes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
