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  What it means

  If a goose walks on ice on Saint Barbara’s day (4 December), Christmas will be wet and mild. A popular winter weather proverb.

  Vocabulary

  • gęś — goose
  • lód — ice
  • Boże Narodzenie — Christmas
  • woda — water

  Grammar note

  'Po lodzie' and 'po wodzie' both use the locative of 'lód' and 'woda' after the preposition 'po', meaning 'on/over'.

  Cultural context

  Saint Barbara's day (4 December) is one of the most important weather-marker days in the Polish folk calendar. The goose-on-ice image is one of the most memorable and widely known Polish weather proverbs.

  Beginner

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