proverbs used to describe natural phenomena without scientific explanations

[Shirleen]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum and it's my first thread XD

Do your languages have proverbs used to describe natural phenomena, which had no scientific explanations at that time?

For example, in Chinese,
people used "天狗食月（tiangoushiyue, the hound is eating the moon）" to describe lunar eclipse.

in Japanese,
“狐の嫁入り（kitsunenoyomeiri, the fox's wedding）" can both mean "sunshower" and "wildfire".

If you have similar expressions in your languages, please let me know! (It doesn't have to be about animals.)

 

[Welsh_Sion]

I suppose you could count bwa'r arch (Literally, 'the ark's bow') as being a Cymraeg/Welsh expression for 'a rainbow'. The reference is to Noah's ark at the time of the Great Flood mentioned in the Bible and that the rainbow was said to be God's sign that the rains had stopped.

In the realms of solar and lunar eclipses, we refer to a diffyg ar yr haul/y lleuad meaning there is some 'fault' or 'flaw' on the sun/moon.

Another metaphor for a heavy falling of snow is pluo eira ('feathering snow') - the idea is of the snowflakes falling like feathers to the ground.

P.S. I think I can guess, but what is "a sunshower"?

 

[Shirleen]

Thank you for sharing! We also use feathers to describe heavy snow, usually goose feathers.

Sunshower is like:

Is it supposed to be called sunny rain in English? In Chinese, it's just sun+rain.

 

[Welsh_Sion]

Is it supposed to be called sunny rain in English? In Chinese, it's just sun+rain.

- I've heard it called "sun-shiny-shower", but this may well be something that we only say in the family, and that usually with little children. You'll have to ask a native English speaker about a 'better' term.

 

[Penyafort]

Proverbs about it in Catalan come by the thousand but they are statements on metereological phenomena rather than real explanations.

For instance:

- Cel rogent, pluja o vent. "Reddish sky, rain or wind (to come)".

- Si la Candelera plora, l'hivern és fora; si la Candelera riu, l'hivern és viu. "If Candlemas is weeping, winter is over. If Candlemas is laughing, winter is alive."

(Candlemas = February 2nd, coinciding with Groundhog Day in North America. Two possible ways to interpret it is that, if there's rain on that day, winter is almost over. Another interpretation has to do with the moon calendar: if there's no moon, it's weeping, winter is finishing, but if there's full moon, it's laughing and winter will continue.​

​

- Març marçot, mata a la vella a la vora del foc, i a la jove si pot. "March crazy March, it kills old ladies by the fire, and young ones too when posible."

- Si a l’abril canta el cucut, matí moll i vespre eixut. "If the cuckoo sings in April, wet morning and dry evening."

- Si no plou per Sant Jordi, tururut ordi. "If there’s no rain by Saint George (=April 23rd), bye bye to barley."

- El patró de Catalunya, els freds allunya. "The patron saint of Catalonia moves the cold away."

(The patron saint is Sant Jordi = Saint George, celebrated on 23rd April, when warm days begin)​

 

[Shirleen]

Thank you for sharing! Learned much about the holidays.

- Març marçot, mata a la vella a la vora del foc, i a la jove si pot. "March crazy March, it kills old ladies by the fire, and young ones too when posible."

This one sounds a bit scary. Is it meant to express that the weather is still cold despite it's March?

 

[apmoy70]

We too have a few in Greek but they're just affirming folk meteorogical observations:

-«Αν ρίξει ο Μάρτης δυο νερά κι ο Απρίλης άλλο ένα, χαρά σ' αυτό τον γεωργό πού 'χει πολλά σπαρμένα» [aŋˈɾik͡s̠i.o̞ˈmart̠is̠ˌðʝo̞neˈɾaˌcaˈpɾilis̠ˈalo̞ˈe̞na.xaˈɾas̠afˈt̠o̞ŋdo̞ʝe̞o̞ɾˈɣo̞ˈpuçipo̞ˈlas̠paɾˈme̞na] --> If March pours down a few rains, and April rains once more, merry be the farmer who has alot of crops.

-«Ο φλεβάρης κι αν φλεβίσει, καλοκαίρι θα μυρίσει» [o̞fle̞ˈvaɾis̠canfle̞ˈvis̠i.kalo̞ˈce̞ɾiˌθamiˈɾis̠i] --> (very difficult to translate) Even if February does its February things, summer's coming (it literally says "even if February februarises (they turned the name of the month into a verb), it's smelling of summer").

-«Αν βρέξ' ο Τρυγητής, χαρά στον τυροκόμο» [anˈvɾe̞k͡s̠o̞tɾiʝiˈt̠is̠.xaˈɾas̠t̠o̞ŋdiɾo̞ˈko̞mo̞] --> If the Harvester (rustic name of the month of September) rains, merry be the cheese-maker (the animals produce more milk).

-«Στις τριάντα τ' Άη-Αντριός αντρειεύεται το κρύο» [s̠t̠is̠t̠ɾiˈaŋdaˌtai̯aŋdɾiˈo̞s̠.aŋdɾiˈe̞ve̞t̠eˌt̠o̞ˈkɾio̞] --> On the thirtieth on st. Andrew's (November 30) cold becomes manly (the proverb makes a pun between the name of Andrew which in Greek means the brave, manly one and the Mediaeval verb ἀντρειεύω /ɐntreːˈeβo/ (MoGr [aŋdriˈe̞vo̞]) --> to mature, grow, intensify, grow to a man).

 

[Shirleen]

We too have a few in Greek but they're just affirming folk meteorogical observations:

-«Αν ρίξει ο Μάρτης δυο νερά κι ο Απρίλης άλλο ένα, χαρά σ' αυτό τον γεωργό πού 'χει πολλά σπαρμένα» [aŋˈɾik͡s̠i.o̞ˈmart̠is̠ˌðʝo̞neˈɾaˌcaˈpɾilis̠ˈalo̞ˈe̞na.xaˈɾas̠afˈt̠o̞ŋdo̞ʝe̞o̞ɾˈɣo̞ˈpuçipo̞ˈlas̠paɾˈme̞na] --> If March pours down a few rains, and April rains once more, merry be the farmer who has alot of crops.

-«Ο φλεβάρης κι αν φλεβίσει, καλοκαίρι θα μυρίσει» [o̞fle̞ˈvaɾis̠canfle̞ˈvis̠i.kalo̞ˈce̞ɾiˌθamiˈɾis̠i] --> (very difficult to translate) Even if February does its February things, summer's coming (it literally says "even if February februarises (they turned the name of the month into a verb), it's smelling of summer").

-«Αν βρέξ' ο Τρυγητής, χαρά στον τυροκόμο» [anˈvɾe̞k͡s̠o̞tɾiʝiˈt̠is̠.xaˈɾas̠t̠o̞ŋdiɾo̞ˈko̞mo̞] --> If the Harvester (rustic name of the month of September) rains, merry be the cheese-maker (the animals produce more milk).

-«Στις τριάντα τ' Άη-Αντριός αντρειεύεται το κρύο» [s̠t̠is̠t̠ɾiˈaŋdaˌtai̯aŋdɾiˈo̞s̠.aŋdɾiˈe̞ve̞t̠eˌt̠o̞ˈkɾio̞] --> On the thirtieth on st. Andrew's (November 30) cold becomes manly (the proverb makes a pun between the name of Andrew which in Greek means the brave, manly one and the Mediaeval verb ἀντρειεύω /ɐntreːˈeβo/ (MoGr [aŋdriˈe̞vo̞]) --> to mature, grow, intensify, grow to a man).

Thanks for sharing! I decided to have some cheese for dinner😋

 

[Welsh_Sion]

- Cel rogent, pluja o vent. "Reddish sky, rain or wind (to come)".

Rather less specific than the English then:

"Red sky at night - shepherds' delight"
(= Good weather coming tomorrow)

"Red sky in the morning - shepherds' warning"
(= Bad weather soon)

I think one or the other comes from the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible and is attested/'has been proved' by modern science. (Although I forget which one!). Is yours also biblical in origin, @Penyafort?

 

[moustic]

A weather prediction saying in French:
Noël au balcon, Pâques au tison. -> Christmas on the balcony, Easter with the poker (= if it's warm at Christmas, it'll be cold at Easter).

 

[alfaalfa]

Ciao,

Rather less specific than the English then:

"Red sky at night - shepherds' delight"
(= Good weather coming tomorrow)

"Red sky in the morning - shepherds' warning"
(= Bad weather soon)

In Italian is the same
Rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera
Rosso di mattina, mal tempo si avvicina

Proverbs about it in Catalan (and Italian) come by the thousand but they are statements on metereological phenomena rather than real explanations.

 

[ThomasK]

Thank you for sharing! We also use feathers to describe heavy snow, usually goose feathers.

Sunshower is like:
View attachment 86130
Is it supposed to be called sunny rain in English? In Chinese, it's just sun+rain.

Dutch (Flemish): het regent (it is raining), het zegent (it is giving blessings) en 't zonneke schijnt (and the little sun/our dear sun is shining)...

 

[Penyafort]

This one sounds a bit scary. Is it meant to express that the weather is still cold despite it's March?

It certainly does. There are many proverbs here about how crazy the weather can get in the month of March.

However, it's quite possible that it's referring to old (and young) sheep, not women, based on a story about a shepherd telling March that his sheep had all survived the month, and March replying that two days were still left, killing many of his sheep in those two days.

 

[Roxxxannne]

Thank you for sharing! We also use feathers to describe heavy snow, usually goose feathers.

Sunshower is like:
View attachment 86130
Is it supposed to be called sunny rain in English? In Chinese, it's just sun+rain.

I'd call that a sunshower. I've neevr heard it called "sunny rain."

 

[Roxxxannne]

Rather less specific than the English then:

"Red sky at night - shepherds' delight"
(= Good weather coming tomorrow)

"Red sky in the morning - shepherds' warning"
(= Bad weather soon)

I think one or the other comes from the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible and is attested/'has been proved' by modern science. (Although I forget which one!). Is yours also biblical in origin, @Penyafort?

I have only heard it as "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."
There's a long discussion of the saying and its validity here, including the chapter and verse in the New Testament: Matthew 16:2-3.