The 25th of January is The Feast of St Paul the Apostle. He had been travelling to Damascus to persecute the early Christians when he saw a heavenly light and heard a voice saying “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” When Saul asked who was questioning him, the voice told him it was Jesus and that he must continue to Damascus where he would be given further instructions. Since Saul had been blinded by the light he was led to the city where he met Ananias who cured him. Saul converted to Christianity and changed his name to Paul. He became one of the mainstays of the Christian church and wrote a number of letters to various groups of early Christians which appear in the New Testament. British folklore states that;
If St. Paul’s Day be fair and clear,
Then it betides a happy year;
But if by chance it then should rain,
It will make dear all kinds of grain;
And if the clouds make dark the sky,
The cattle and fowls this year shall die:
If blustering winds do blow aloft,
Then wars shall vex the realm full oft.
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In Norway the same idea is applied but they played safe by claiming the day was fair if the sun shone long enough for a farmer to harness and unharness a horse three times.
