Gdy w świętą Barbarę gęś chodzi po lodzie, to Boże Narodzenie będzie po wodzie
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What it means
“When on Saint Barbara’s Day a goose walks on ice, Christmas will be on water.” If there is ice on December 4, Christmas will be mild and wet — no snow or frost.
Vocabulary
- święta Barbara — Saint Barbara (feast day: December 4)
- gęś — goose
- lód — ice
- Boże Narodzenie — Christmas
- woda — water
Grammar note
'Po lodzie chodzi' and 'po wodzie będzie' — 'po' with the locative expresses movement over a surface or a state of being amid something.
Cultural context
Saint Barbara's Day (December 4) is an important feast in Poland, especially among miners. It falls just three weeks before Christmas, making it a natural weather predictor for the holiday.
Beginner
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