Na Katarzynę gęś po wodzie, Boże Narodzenie po lodzie
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What it means
“If geese walk on water on Saint Catherine’s day, Christmas will be on ice.” A weather proverb: if there is no frost and water is still unfrozen on Saint Catherine’s day (November 25), then Christmas will be cold and icy.
Vocabulary
- Katarzyna — Catherine
- gęś — goose
- woda — water
- lód — ice
- Boże Narodzenie — Christmas
Grammar note
'Na Katarzynę' uses the accusative of 'Katarzyna' after 'na' in a temporal sense. 'Po wodzie' and 'po lodzie' use the locative after 'po' meaning 'on/over'.
Cultural context
Saint Catherine of Alexandria's feast day is November 25. This proverb is a folk weather forecast linking late-autumn conditions to the Christmas period.
Intermediate
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