Weather camera self portraits (2012— )

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.

sky:

- 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

stars:

- 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

moon:

- 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)

an antique vampire slaying kit from the mid-19th century.