Polish folklore beliefs about the sky, stars and moon
again, as I am delving deeper into old stories from Polish folklore, I find countless incredible and eerie beliefs - those that survived centuries, told by greatgrandmas to their grandchildren.
given that the last post was about death omens, this time it’ll be something a bit more uplifting. and I say a bit because we’re Slavic, and at the end of the day most things are about death or bad luck. or, well, weather.
- the following day will have good weather if: the sky has a golden hue after the sun sets; the sky is cloudless during the evening; the horizon is clear and bright during sunset
- pale sky and sickly yellow sunset foretell the coming of bad weather
- if during Christmas eve the night sky was full of clouds, cows would give a lot of milk in the upcoming year; if it was full of stars, hen would lay a lot of eggs
- night sky with a lot of clear stars foretells a good weather
- if stars can be seen even during sunrise, the day will have good weather
- barely visible or blinking stars foretell rain and bad weather
- stars are closely tied to human life - or rather the human life is tied to them - when a person is born, they are born under a star and this star is “theirs”
- you can be born under a “light star” or a “dark star” - the first means a good and lucky life, the second means struggle and bad luck in life
- people born under a “dark star” are often considered to be moody, difficult to deal with, or even dangerous (typ spod ciemnej gwiazdy)
- you should never point your finger at the stars because you can “point at your own” and that might cause you to be ill or even die; the star might fall down and cause your or someone’s death too;
- this belief is closely tied to the one that says a falling stars means someone just died - “the soul goes to heaven so the star falls to earth” and “the star is falling, say a prayer because someone died” (“jak spadła gwiazda to dusza poszła do nieba, a gwiazda z nieba” i “zmawiaj pacierz bo ktoś umarł i gwiazda spada”)
- some believe a falling star means a death of a child that hasn’t been baptised - in this case you’re supposed to say “if it’s a boy, let him be John, if a girl, let her be Anne” allowing the child’s soul to pass into heaven (“jak pan to niech będzie Jan, jak panna to niech będzie Anna”)
- stars were often called “little lights” and “little candles” and were on the sky to guide people - both in the literal sense and in life
- a very bright moon with a glowing rim foretells good weather the next day
- a red moon means bad weather the next day, especially during its rise or setting
- lunar eclipse was always seen as a bad omen: of illness or death, bad crops, death of cattle - some people would cover the wells “so the eclipse doesn’t poison the water”
- new moon seen through the trees or the roof foretells a sad month
- there is a widespread tradition of welcoming and greeting the new moon and wishing it all the best while asking for its blessing (there are basically countless versions of these greetings, examples include: “welcome, Prince in a new crown, the crown to you and good fortune to us” or “New moon, bring health so me, so my head and teeth won’t hurt” - toothache and headache appear in most of those greetings)
- full moon was an especially feared time, as most people believed the moonlight was harmful - newborn babies must not be out in the moonlight or they might get “hit/paralysed by the moon” and the window must be covered or else the baby will become a chronic sleepwalker
- moonlight could also: blind the children (or cause worsening of sight); take away their ability to talk or cause a lisp; cause a headache or endless crying; or even cause a mental disability
- fullmoon poses the greatest threat of possession by malicious forces or being kidnapped by an evil creature or spirit
- fullmoon causes insomnia - to battle this, one should put a glass of water or a little mirror on the windowsill - water is not only cleansing, but also creates a reflection and reflects the moonlight (some, as my great aunt, say that the moon becomes busy with looking at itself rather than entering the eyes and causing insomnia)
[main sources, other than personal research and conversations with people - especially older - in villages and cities of Silesia and Lesser Poland: A. Lebeda, Komentarze do Polskiego Atlasu Etnograficznego: Wiedza i Wierzenia Ludowe, 2002; B. Błaszczyńska, Wieści pogodowe według meteorologii ludowej, 2010]
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