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  What it means

  Literally “If it is warm on Saint Peter’s day, winter will last until Easter.” This is a seasonal weather rhyme used to predict a long, lingering winter. It reflects the agricultural anxiety of the Polish climate, where a warm spell at the wrong time was often seen as an omen of a late spring.

  Vocabulary

  • ciepło — warm / warmth
  • Wielkanoc — Easter
  • potrwa — will last / will endure
  • dzień — day

  Grammar note

  The word 'Wielkiejnocy' is the genitive form of 'Wielkanoc' (Easter), required by the preposition 'do' (until). 'Potrwa' is the perfective future form of 'trwać' (to last).

  Cultural context

  While there are several feast days for St. Peter, this usually refers to the Chair of St. Peter (February 22nd). In Polish folk culture, weather "turning" around this time was critical for planning the sowing of crops.

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