On St. Gregory’s Day the storks fly from the sea or when spring returns

The good Pope Gregory promoted peace

This may surprise you, but St. Gregory’s Day, i.e. 12 March used to be in the past a holiday for pupils and schoolchildren in many European countries in commemoration of Pope Gregory I, known as teacher of the Church. Gregory came from a prominent patrician family, the Annici, studied law and after 570 held the office of praetor in Rome. In 579, Pope Pelagius II appointed him his legate at the imperial court in Constantinople., in 586 he served as a deacon in the papal office. He was elected pope – according to tradition, against his will – the year 590 during a dying plague epidemic, to which Pope Pelagius himself fell victim.
Gregory ruled the Church in an exemplary manner, without intrigue and in a peaceful manner. At the beginning of each month he distributed a portion of the church property among the people. The Roman Empire was plagued at the time by raids from the Langobards – Gregory fortified the cities most threatened by their incursions and sought peace with the Langobard king Agilulf. Died 12 March 604.

A joyful celebration of St. Gregory among school youth

St. Gregory was once one of the cheerful medieval and modern celebrations of school youth. The pupils loved the day – it was free and fun. Pupils’ festivals were held in towns where there was a school (schools did not appear in the countryside until the 18th century after the reform of Empress Maria Theresa).
The students performed various skits, sang and recited. They used to be in disguised as “River Army”, they had wooden swords, imitation military caps and banners… They had their “corporal” or “profous”, drummer and flag bearer. The drummer announced the arrival of the parade. The troops were armed with wooden sabres to protect “Saint Gregory”, the student and sometimes a teacher disguised as a bishop. On his head “Saint Gregory” wore a bishop’s mitre, and in his hand he carried a bishop’s scepter. For their performances, they received a salary – a kind of carolwhich usually improved the modest income of the town cantor.

The countryside was filled with crickets and preparations for the agricultural year

It was in the countryside that “Gregor” was celebrated quite differently. Part of this spring holiday used to be in some regions the so-called “Christmas Eve”. St. George’s Day. The youth gathered in the village square and there they dressed one of the volunteers “as a masquerade“. His body was wrapped with a long rye or wheat straw, put on the head a pointed hat made of straw. The mashkara had her face covered with a scarf, or at least blackened. The procession walked together through the village accompanied by music and singing, stopping in front of each building. To give birth to the house children and in the stables cattle, the hens laid in their coops, and the rooster was not idle, each had to the housekeeper and the masquerade dancing and reward her with a treat. Young boys and girls danced with the housekeeper walking in the procession. In the evening the young people gathered in the tavern and did everything together, what they had foraged, eaten and drunk.

The carol on St. Gregory’s Day, who was also considered the patron saint of singers and musicians, was later accompanied by teachers in the countryside. The accompaniment of ‘St. Gregory’ was also sometimes Angels, featuring by the youngest pupils. Gregory’s soldiers recited nursery rhymes in front of the buildings and urged parents to send their children to school. The latter were not allowed to “school” their children, whose their hands were needed in the fields in the spring and on the farm, redeemed with flour, a piece of Speck or small coins.

From St. Gregory’s onwards, spring did indeed pass through the villages and the peasants were preparing for the first ploughing, for as we know “On St. Gregory’s Day, every peasant sluggard who does not plough“. But the actual start of spring ploughing also had its magical ceremony – the farmer sprinkled himself, the plough and the ground with holy water a blessed the field and the first furrow with a cross. When he returned home, his housekeeper poured water over him to keep him strong for the next few days. The sowing was to be done on days when the moon was waxing – this was especially true for grain and flax. Finally, when the field was sown, it was circled around, which was related to the belief in the magical protective power of the circle.

Do storks really fly over the sea on St. Gregory’s Day? Watch them and report your successes!

There is a well-known proverb associated with March 12: “On St. Gregory’s Day, the stork flies across the sea and the frog opens its mouth.” Although in recent years there have been recorded cases of wintering storks on our territory, it remains stork one of the most distinctive messengers of spring and a symbol of bird migration. The storks that are actually returning to our chimneys these days have come an incredibly long way. There are more places where they spend the winter. The furthest of these is located all the way in South Africa – Storks that fly from there fly an incredible distance of around 9 000 km!
Storks are not only symbol of spring but also love, of fidelity and fertility. The first to arrive is usually the male (they always fly to places where they have nested in the past), who repairs the old home after the winter and awaits the arrival of his female, with whom he usually spends his whole life. When the female and her mate arrive “home”, they both greet each other enthusiastically by tilting their heads and flapping their beaks. The pair nest and in early April the female lays her eggs. They are very interesting birds and deserve our attention. So watch for their arrival and if you spot a stork, send information about the location of the sighting, time and activities of the Czech Ornithological Society. There is a special page for stork watching birdlife.cz/capi/. So far, as of March 2025, about 20% of returneeswho are already occupying the old nests.
Ornithologists will also be happy to information on the main diet of storks – frogs. If you notice any place where more frogs end up under car wheels than in a heron’s stomach, let a scientist know. Nature intended for the frog to end up in the stork’s stomach. But they’re a shame for the roads.

Do you know the Greek proverbs?

• • To St. Gregory ice floats into the sea

• • To St. Gregory the lazy peasant who doesn’t plough

• • To St. Gregory the frog opens his mouth

• • To St. Gregory Storks fly from the sea

• • On St. Gregory the beast peasant anyone who just a little bit of ploughing

• • To Gregory the mountains are roaring and the peasants are at home peeping

• • Saint Gregory frosts leadif it doesn’t, it snow is harmful

• • To St. Gregory loosen the fur coat above

• • If Gregory nods his head, he will send a white cold around us

• • Although on the River a lot of snow in the field is, spring will come quickly and the snow will melt

• • About St. Gregory frosts will kill everything

• • Swine begged the landlord: Keep me till the river and after Gregory, I’ll help myself

• • On St. Gregory’s Day the stork flies over the sea, the frog opens his mouth, the ice floes into the sea, the beast the peasant who does not plough

• • Gregory does not yet know, but St. Joseph will tell

• • Saint Gregory last updated outside ice

• • On St. Gregory’s Day everything in the court of the raven

• • To St. Gregory snack will be eaten

• • To St. Gregory swallows flew over over the sea

• • The bayou spits out ice from the forest

• • To St. Gregory in a fur coat is too good, not so much on St. Jachym, on St. George the fur coat goes into the closet

• • To St. Gregory day and night in one measure

• • Around St. Gregory’s they come to us again Storks, wild geese, Ducks, lasovice