March: St. Gregory’s Storks and the Arrival of Spring

Even though the popular saying is March – we crawl behind the stove, this month finally brings the real arrival of spring! Nature starts to awaken from its winter sleep, with bright green herbs and beautiful flowers like anemones, snowdrops, irises, bluebells, daffodils, and tulips beginning to grow. We start to use up our last winter stocks of vegetables and apples from the cellar, and soon starlings and storks will be back, little rabbits will be born, and geese will start nesting near the ponds. Even Lent, a season associated with forgiveness and fasting, doesn’t have to be dull: check out our Kudy z nudy calendar featuring the six Sundays of Lent, some of which fall in March each year.

March weather lore

The March sun has short arms and a long coat, suggests one of the sayings about March weather. Indeed, the sun and the weather play a crucial role in many weather sayings. Here, we have gathered some of the most well-known proverbs:

• • March without water, April without grass.

• • The March sun chills your feet.

• • If it thunders in March, expect snow in May.

• • If March takes off its fur coat, April will be happy to wear it.

• • A gentleman’s love, a woman’s taste, and March weather are all unpredictable!

Just like the weather proverbs from January and February, the ones for March often mention animals. We will skip talking about Saint Gregory and his storks and frogs for now, but there is still a vibrant array of spring animals to enjoy:

• • The swallow’s beak is short, but especially sweet in March.

• • Better to be bitten by a snake than warmed by the sun in March.

• • The lark must sing in March, even if it’s cold.

• • The loud cries of wagtails in March, along with the storks and the arrival of wild geese, signal the coming of a warm spring.

Animals feature in the weather lore for March 1st, which is also shared by Saints Frederick, Albina, and Eudokia:

• • On Saint Eudokia’s day, snow covers the dog up to its ears.

The saying for March 2nd serves as a caution: It’s not wise to lie down in the grass on St. Agnes’ Day, as it’s easy to catch a cold. So be cautious and save your backyard lounging for the warmer months ahead!

The time of spring floods

The beginning of March often feels less cheerful compared to its sunnier close: at this transition from February to March, melting snow raises river levels, leading to potential floods. The Matějská thaw, usually happening between St. Matthew’s Day (February 24) and March 8, unmistakably signals that winter is ending. It’s also time to begin preparing for spring farming activities.

On St. Gregory’s Day…

…storks migrate across the sea. This saying is well-known, but what many might not realize is that St. Gregory’s Day occurs on March 12. Another saying goes, On St. Gregory’s Day, the stork flies over the sea, the frog opens its mouth, the ice floats away, and a lazy farmer doesn’t plough. However, despite these weather sayings, we can sometimes experience the so-called St. Gregory’s winter in mid-March, which is viewed as the last breath of winter.

How Joseph and Mary kill winter

The true end of winter is often signified by Joseph’s warmth (St. Joseph’s Day is March 19) and Marian warming, named after the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, later St. Victorinus (March 25). Our ancestors cleverly combined these into a saying: Joseph and Mary kill winter.

The weather proverb for March 27 sounds quite enigmatic, claiming that the weather on St. Ruprecht’s Day will be the same in July. With July still far off, let’s focus on March and make the most of our time cozied up by the stove. This weather saying goes on to state, “…April – we’ll still be there, May – we’ll chase the goats into the woods.” So let’s see where we find ourselves in a month—will we still be cozy by the stove or out enjoying the spring weather?