Jan. 29, Monday — Saint Thomas Aquinas. Moon on the Equator. W.C. Fields born, 1880.
Jan. 30, Tuesday — King Charles I (England, Scotland, Ireland) beheaded, 1649. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. president, born in Hyde Park, New York, 1882.
Jan. 31, Wednesday — Scotch tape first sold by 3M Company. If the grass looks green in Janiveer, 'twill look worser all the year.
Feb. 1, Thursday — Saint Brigid. Captain John Ericsson received U.S. patent for first marine screw propeller, 1838. First car insurance, 1898.
Feb. 2, Friday — Candlemas Day. Groundhog Day. Purification of Mary. Februeer doth cut and shear.
Feb. 3, Saturday — Calcutta Railway opened, 1855. Endangered Species Act, 1973.
Feb. 4, Sunday — Auspicious day for marriage and the repair of ships. Fifth Sunday after Epiphany.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: Is St. Brigit the same as St. Bride, and if so, why the two names? — J. S., Clifton, Colo.
Answer: They are one and the same, but she has even more names than that. The reason is that this Irish-born nun, c. 453-523, became widely known not just in Ireland but also in Wales, England and Scotland for her compassion and charity. Historians generally agree that she was probably born near Dundalk, Ireland, to peasant parents and may have been baptized by St. Patrick. She became a nun as a young girl, then later became an abbess and founder of the convent and double monastery at Kildare, Ireland. Sometimes spelled Brigid, Brigit, or Bridget, this Saint was called St. Bride in Wales. Irish tradition names her "the prophetess of Christ: she is the Queen of the South: she is the Mary of the Gael." Evidently, the Bishop Ibor saw a vision of the Virgin Mary and proclaimed that the two women looked identical. In northern England, Celtic worship included Brigit as a patron of poetry and prophecy. In Ireland, she is second only to St. Patrick in popularity and is considered a patron of midwives and healers, poets, cattle and dairymaids, fugitives, blacksmiths and newborns. Some stories contend that she was midwife to the Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus. "Bridget's feast day white, every ditch full" and "As long as the sunbeam comes in on Bridget's feast day, the snow comes before May Day" are two bits of weather lore from the Isle of Man.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: A friend gave my cats and me some potted "catmint" for Christmas. Is this the same as catnip? — D. P., Flag Pond, Tenn.
Answer: Catnip usually is the species Nepeta cataria, but catmint can include any member of the genus Nepeta, including catnip. They are both mints, and either one may attract (and be perfectly safe for) felines. Nepeta cataria is the one generally used in teas and other herbal products; it has long been considered safe for human consumption. As a relaxing tea, it is mild and somewhat similar to chamomile. Nepeta cataria and many other mints (peppermint, spearmint, etc.) are often seen in remedies for respiratory ills. Without knowing the exact origin of your catmint, however, it might be prudent not to use it for your own tea, though it's unlikely that it would have any ill effect. Gardeners often prefer Nepeta x faassenii (also called Persian catmint and Persian ground ivy), because it mounds well in a border, has a pretty and distinctive gray-green foliage, and shows lavender flowers in the early summer. Nepeta cataria, on the other hand, has a weedier appearance (like many mints), can be invasive unless contained, and flowers in white or a pale pinkish-white. If you are trying to determine which one you have before it flowers, catnip has a slight lemony scent.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: It's said that on Candlemas Day, you should still have half your wood and half your hay. Where do the candles come in? — C. F., Schenectady, N.Y.
Answer: February 2 commemorates the Feast of the Virgin Mary (sometimes called "the churching of Virgin Mary"), when she journeyed to the Temple to give up the infant Jesus 40 days after his birth, as was the Jewish law. From the fifth century onward, candlelit processions were customary in these celebrations. Sometime in the 11th century, another church ritual was begun, where candles were brought to the altars to be blessed. According to one medieval Christian belief, bees came from heaven, so beeswax candles were traditionally the only kind used. Among the many proverbs about Candlemas Day is one that reads, "On Candlemas Day, throw candle and candlestick away." This is evidently a reference to religious customs in which candles were not used for vespers or litanies between Candlemas Day and All Saints Day (November 1), no doubt because of the increasing light during this period and an attempt to reserve the candles for the darkest days of winter. Weather lore around Candlemas is common, probably because winter was beginning to seem old and tired by then. Just a few of the many sayings include, "When the wind's in the east on Candlemas Day, there it will stick until the second of May" and "On Candlemas Day, a good goose begins to lay." The wisdom in Spain is that when it rains at Candlemas, the cold is over. In Germany, it was said that as long before Candlemas as the lark is heard to sing, so long will it be silent afterward on account of the cold. And the French say, "On the eve of Candlemas Day, winter gets stronger or passes away."
Send your questions to: Ask the Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Main St., Dublin, NH 03444. Web site: www.almanac.com