Na świętego Walentego bywa zwykle mróz niczego, lecz jak Walek się rozdeszcze, pewne mrozy wrócą jeszcze
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What it means
“On Saint Valentine’s day there’s usually a decent frost, but if Walek (Valentine) turns rainy, the frosts will surely return.” A weather proverb for February 14th: frost on Valentine’s Day is normal, but rain is a bad omen — it means more cold spells are coming.
Vocabulary
- mróz — frost
- niczego — decent, not bad (colloquial)
- rozdeszcze się — turns rainy, starts raining heavily
- pewne — surely, certainly
- Walek — folk nickname for Walenty (Valentine)
Grammar note
'Rozdeszcze się' is a reflexive perfective verb meaning 'to become rainy'. 'Wrócą' is the future tense of 'wrócić' (to return).
Cultural context
In Polish folk tradition, St. Valentine's Day (February 14) was primarily a weather marker, not a romantic holiday. 'Walek' is the affectionate folk diminutive of Walenty.
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