ICEMAN COMETH: As we type up this column, it’s rain and cold
outside — again. But take heart as there is a lot of precedent for
this damp and dingy weather in May, according to the Farmer’s
Almanac.

Its website notes: “Perhaps you’ve heard the old proverb that
warns not to plant until after the ‘Three Ice Men’ have passed, but
do you know who these mysterious Ice Men are? The tradition comes
from Northern Europe and is tied to the successive feasts of St.
Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatius, whose respective days
occur on May 11, 12, and 13.”

“They are also sometimes referred to as the ‘Three Chilly
Saints.’

The saga continues, “In Europe’s not-too-distant past, parts of
the continent remained rather cold through the middle of May,
making planting before then risky.”

“German and Swiss lore refers to mid-May as ‘Iceman Days,’ while
an old French saying states ‘St. Mammertius, St. Pancratius and St.
Gervatius (the Francophone spelling of the three saints’ names) do
not pass without a frost.’

“Because the agrarian people of medieval Europe weren’t likely
to be literate, let alone aware of calendar dates, they measured
time by observing nature and by the church calendar. Remembering
that the last frost of the year generally falls around the feast of
Servatius was a useful marker for pre-modern farmers.

In some regions, the lore says that rain will fall on feast of
St. Sophia, marking the beginning of planting season. For this
reason, May 15 is referred to as “Cold Sophia” in Poland.

The website continues, “One point of interest is that this bit
of lore dates back to before the creation of the Gregorian calendar
in 1582, at which time most days of the year shifted somewhat.
While the feasts of the Three Chilly Saints are still celebrated
from May 11-13 on our calendar, these days used to fall a little
later in the astronomical year – from May 19-22.”

As we were writing this column, we glanced at our calendar. A
notation on this week says, “snow” on May 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2002,
so this part of the month looks like a good time to avoid when
planting flowers, tomato plants etc. Of course, snap your fingers
and it will be 80 degrees and sweltering.