On the third day of Christmas
My true love sent to me:
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Folklore is full of risible methods of forecasting the future and Gervase Markham’s ‘The English Husbandman of 1635 is no exception. He says:
‘What weather shall be on the sixth and twentieth day of December, the like weather will be all the month of January.’
Then and so on for the 12 days of Christmas. Please note that he numbers the 12 days from the 26th, not as I have done from the 25th. I deal with this in one of the forthcoming posts.
So the weather today, the 27th, will be the weather for ‘the following February’ if you follow Markham, or March if you follow me. And so on until the 12th Day when that will give you the weather on December 2026.
According to Gervase’s method, then weather in early 2026 will be cold but sunny.
The St Johns
This is St, John’s Day, he who was loved by Jesus and, possibly also wrote the Gospel. So, he is the patron saint of booksellers, publishers, printers, writers and friendship. Lecterns in the Church of England are normally shaped as an Eagle as this is the symbol of St John.
John was the brother of James, and with Peter the three were Jesus inner support group. In the Gospel, an unnamed disciple is called ‘the disciple who Jesus loved’. This is thought to be John. The loved one is said to have ‘borne witness and wrote’ the gospel according to John. John the Evangelist is often identified as John the Apostle. There are also three letters attributed to John, as well as the Book of Revelations. It is still a controversial subject, but Revelations is generally thought to be by a different John. Some believe the letter writer was another John. There could be as many as 4 Johns or as few as one. ‘He’ appears to have lived to a grey haired old age, was not martyred, although escaping death from a poisoned chalice. He was supposed to have been challenged by a pagan to drink a poison potion. He took on the challenge and, not only survived, but resurrected two people killed by the poison.
It worries me all these saints who resurrect people. There is St Winifred whose head St Bono successfully put back on her shoulder. Then St Werburgh of Chester who’s favourite goose had been cooked, and she managed to resurrect him. Surely, if you are a believer then the Resurrection is the central miracle (along with the virgin birth) which ‘legitimises’ your faith? And these other miracles make it somewhat ‘trivial’? In the case of the Goose almost a party trick? Although maybe the Goose and St Winifred thought differently about it? Please read my post on St Bono and St Winifred here.
In the beginning was the Word
The Gospel opens with these famous words:
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.’
John is normally depicted with an Eagle, or at the bottom of the Cross with Mary. Or with a palm frond which I always think of as a quill (he being a writer). Or with a chalice.
The use of the Eagle as a symbol goes back to
‘Jerome’s Commentary on Matthew, which says it signifies “John the Evangelist who, having taken up eagle’s wings and hastening toward higher matters, discusses the Word of God”‘
according to www.christianiconography.info
Or perhaps referring to his ‘soaring’ prose?
On This Day
Today, is the day, Freemasons install their Grand Master. I wonder if this has anything to do with the Holy Grail being a chalice?
Ring in the New Year.
Remember, on 1st January 7.30 I am doing my annual ‘Ring in the New Year’ virtual walk for London Walks where I look at all things New Year. To see more details, click here:
First Published in December 2021, revised and republished in December 2023, 2024,2025