Jaki Bartek, taki wrzesień, jaki Marcin, taka zima
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What it means
As Saint Bartholomew’s Day goes, so goes September; as Saint Martin’s Day goes, so goes winter. A folk weather proverb linking two feast days to the seasons that follow them.
Vocabulary
- Bartek — Saint Bartholomew's Day (24 August)
- wrzesień — September
- Marcin — Saint Martin's Day (11 November)
- zima — winter
Grammar note
Two parallel 'jaki… taki…' correlatives joined in one proverb. 'Wrzesień' is masculine, 'zima' is feminine , adjective forms differ accordingly.
Cultural context
Saint Bartholomew (24 August) and Saint Martin (11 November) are both important markers in the Polish folk calendar for predicting autumn and winter weather.
Beginner
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