A FEW days ago I read about a clerical gentleman who did not place dates upon the letters he wrote to friends and contacts, but instead used saints’ days as points of reference. Even if he knew the significance of those dates, the chances were that the recipients of his mail were baffled.

Last week, for example, June 22 was St Alban’s Day, June 23 was St John’s Eve, June 24 was the feast day of St John the Baptist and this week, June 29 was the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. Also this week, July 2 was the feast day of one of the many St Marys, with St Hedda’s Day following next week on July 7.

However, for those who are not acquainted with saints’ days, some of our memorable days have different names, often being the reason for some kind of celebration. For example, the Sunday following Midsummer Day (June 24) is also Halifax Thump Sunday with Hepworth Feast Day on the last Monday in June and Walkington Ride Day on the third Sunday in June, this being a parade of horse drawn vehicles.

In July, the period between July 3 and August 11 is known as the Dog Days because the Romans believed it marked the effect of Sirius, the Dog Star, which is said to rise and set with the sun during those times.

It was thought that the combined heat of the sun and Sirius produced a very hot period of summer, but it was also believed this heat adversely affected some dogs.

July 4 is known as Bullions Day in the North of England and Scotland where it is said that if the deer rise dry and lie down dry on Bullions Day, then there will be a good harvest to follow. The name Bullions comes from the French St Martin Bouillant. Under his alternative name of St Martin of Tours, he has another feast day on November 11.

July 4 is also known as Old Midsummer Eve but this date for that particular anniversary was made obsolete by the calendar changes of 1752. However, for some years afterwards, celebratory bonfires continued to be lit around the North of England. And that date also marks Independence Day in the United States of America.

Next week, July 6 is Cucumber Day which, until the calendar changes of 1752, was the day when discerning Northern gardeners planted their cucumber seeds. Ignoring some of the saints’ days that arise in the coming week or so, July 11 is Thorn Bawming Day when, for some obscure reason, hawthorn trees were garlanded with flowers.

In addition, there were moveable celebrations during July, these altering because they might, for example, occur on the third Sunday or last Saturday of the month, the actual date regularly changing.

Here in the North they included Gormire Day when students from Ampleforth College had to make their way to Lake Gormire near the foot of Sutton Bank. The challenge was to use any kind of transport except motor vehicles. Many walked or used bicycles, but I recall one group hiring a camel. The camel survived but that occasion is not longer celebrated.

In addition there are (or were) rush bearing days, Kilburn Feast Day, Oxenhope Straw Race Day, Well Dressing Day, Mapplewell and Staincross Sing, and Blessing of the Boats at Whitby. In other words, there are plenty of reasons for having a day out in this region.

Sunday lore

LINKED to the topic of celebratory days are several customs that involved particular days of the week. In some areas, it was believed that Sunday wasn’t a good day for turning the mattress of a bed because it would lead to bad dreams through-out the following week. Washing clothes and sheets on Sundays was widely forbidden too and Sunday was always thought to be a bad day to hold a funeral.

A Sunday funeral was thought to herald a further three burials that week – there was a belief in Durham that if the cathedral bells tolled once for a funeral, they would toll a further two times. An associated belief was that it was unwise to leave a grave open on a Sunday; this was always thought to be yawning for another corpse.

Furthermore, it wasn’t considered a good idea to set one’s eggs beneath a hen on a Sunday, nor to cut one’s finger and toe nails on that day. In broad terms, Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest and many of our ancestors never worked on Sunday or carried out domestic chores, especially refraining from doing the family washing of clothes and bed-linen.

However, it was always believed that a child born on a Sunday would be blithe and bonny, good and gay. In former times, gay meant happy and carefree with none of the sexual connotations of today’s society. Children born in the morning were often considered likely to reach a happy old age and there was an old saying that "the later the birth the shorter the life".

The moon was also thought to affect the birth of a child with one belief being that a change of moon was likely to be the time of a new birth, while in some areas, to be born at sunrise indicated a future life of happiness and success. In checking through the immense list of old customs and superstitions, it seems there is no single day when all things will be good, nor when all will be bad!

There is no doubt our ancestors placed tremendous faith in a wide range of omens and whilst much of that ancient superstition has withered, some of us continue to place huge hopes in omens such as lucky days, lucky numbers and colours, good luck charms and a bewildering range of mascots.

One of my favourite sayings about luck is “The harder you work, the luckier you get”.

Happy family

A WREN, often called jenny wren, appears to have taken up residence in our garden where I suspect there is a nest among some thick ivy. I have not attempted to find the nest for I have no wish to disturb the happy family.

The wren’s warm brown colouring, tiny size and pert up-turned tail make it instantly identifiable. In addition there is its voice. This tiny chap produces one of the loudest songs of all our birds, although it may be reducing its times of singing as July heads into August.

In our case, the resident wren appears to have decided our ancient garden wall with all its crevices and plants is a good hunting ground. He makes regular but furtive trips along that wall only a couple of yards from us but rarely he visits our bird-feeders. He is seeking insects, caterpillars and grubs to feed his mate and brood which can be as many as eight demanding chicks.

Once this month is over and his brood have fledged, he will not be so prominent, usually seeking food among heavily leafed shrubs and managing to avoid our scrutiny.