TOMORROW witnesses a full moon. With the snows of recent weeks still in mind, there used to be a strong belief among country people that a full moon on a Saturday, even if it happens only once every seven years, is far too soon.

Known as the sailors’ curse, it was said to herald bad weather and bad luck.

There was also an ancient saying in Scotland that supported this opinion in these words: Saturday’s moon and Sunday’s prime, once is enough is seven years’ time. Similarly, the change of moon on a Saturday followed by a full moon on a Sunday was also thought to herald bad weather but this year’s first new moon was on Friday, January 15.

A belief in the association between the moon and our weather dates into the mists of time, with many of the superstitions being associated with the new moon. One old piece of lore said that the first hundred hours after the new moon dictated the weather for the following month, but this was countered by another belief that the first three days that followed a new moon could not be relied upon to forecast the weather.

It was the fourth, fifth and sixth days that were of great importance, because they mirrored the forthcoming longterm conditions.

This meant that the weather on those days would be replicated in the following weeks, and it was the Greek philosopher Pliny (probably the elder Pliny who was born in AD23) who believed that the force and direction of the wind was governed by the new moon.

That belief also persisted for centuries in this country, for the essayist and author Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) stated his belief in that phenomenon.

Much more locally, the country folk of this region continued to believe that the new moon was responsible for our weather. One widespread belief was that if the new moon was lying on its back it indicated fine weather. They believed that its saucer-like shape held water which in turn suggested fine weather, but if the new moon had the appearance of tilting slightly, then it would rain. In other words, as one Yorkshireman put it: “ T’watter skells ower t’edge.”

Tomorrow’s full moon, however, also tells its own story. Perhaps one of the most persistent of beliefs is that two full moons within the space of one month is a sign of stormy weather, producing floods in particular. Another old notion, especially among sailors, was that a full moon consumed clouds.

There are two sayings that repeat this idea – an old piece of nautical lore said that the full moon eats clouds, and another said the full moon grew fat on clouds. This was based on observations that suggested whenever a full moon rose, the clouds moved aside as if to accommodate it. This does apparently happen on occasions but it is no regular occurrence.

Another piece of weather prognostication was triggered by the appearance of a ring around the moon. This does occur from time to time, and when it does the old weather lore says that the distance of the ring from the moon forecasts the coming weather. For example, if the ring was close to the moon, it meant that rain was far away, but a ring at a considerable distance from the moon meant that rain was imminent.

Sometimes the outline of the old full moon can be seen as a dark shadow close to the new moon, and this was known as the new moon being in the old moon’s arms. It heralded a fine day to follow, while a nice clear moon generally indicated a coming frost.

The state of the moon did not merely affect our weather. It has long been thought that as the moon waxed and waned it affected the growth of our plants, and even now some gardeners will plant their seeds when the moon is waxing or perhaps just after it is full. This logic is that the plants – flower or vegetables – will appear above ground when the moon is new and so they will flourish.

It was also thought to affect wild animals, one belief being that they will cover far more ground when the moon is full, while moles will produce lots of molehills, rats will eat poison bait put out for them and hens will lay more eggs.

One very strong belief was that pigs should not be killed when the moon is declining because it meant the meat would shrink while being cooked.

Shepherds would not dock lambs’ tails when the moon was waning because it was feared they would die.

Perhaps the most powerful indication of the moon’s influence is the effect it has upon our coastal tides. It was this that suggested the moon also affected our blood flow in much the same way; blood pressure was thought to increase as the moon waxed, consequently if blood had to be let as medicinal treatment, it was done while the moon was waning.

One ancient belief was that ‘washing’ one’s hands in the light of the moon as it was reflected in a dry silver bowl was considered a means of securing good fortune, although in some areas, it was thought to cure warts on the hands. In County Durham, an old cure for warts was to blow on them nine times when the moon was full.

And if a large star is seen persistently close to the moon, almost as if the star is dragging the moon along in the heavens, then this is a sign of wild and severe weather, while a mist before sunrise during the full moon generally heralded a more settled period of fine weather.

DURING the snowfalls over Christmas and New Year, sales of bird food and feeders rose dramatically as the nation did its best to help our wild birds survive.

Many perished through a lack of food or due to the intense cold, thus any help we provide is vital to their survival. It always amazes me how tiny birds such as blue tits, coal tits, wrens and robins manage to survive in Arctic conditions, but an intake of suitable food is vital for them just before they go to roost. The right food helps them to retain body heat during the chilly nights.

The wild bird food that can be purchased in hardware stores, garden centres and similar outlets is prepared especially to provide the necessary nourishment but we can help by putting out scraps of our domestic left-overs.

Fatty substances, such as bacon rind or the fat left over from joints of meat are always welcome – a variety of birds know this and will respond by coming for this food. Some will peck at the food while others might fly off with large trophies.

Domestic bread is not suitable because it does not provide the necessary nutrients and we have found that most birds have the wisdom to ignore unsuitable food.

This winter our garden has witnessed a wonderful variety of birds. There were the usual blue tits, great tits, coal tits and long-tailed tits, along with siskins, greenfinches, chaffinches, bullfinches, tree sparrows and house sparrows.

Five male blackbirds did battle for some scraps while the female looked on and helped herself as the males were too busy fighting, and we were pleased at the arrival of a song thrush. We have also welcomed a shy robin, several dunnocks, collared doves, wood pigeons, a magpie and a solitary starling while, one day, a tree creeper arrived at the same time as a cock pheasant.

Perhaps the most intriguing is a grey squirrel whose acrobatics are amazing but whose presence does not alarm the birds and, to be honest, he does not take away much of their food.