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  What it means

  “A clear night on Saint Michael’s Day means a harsh and lasting winter; a rainy night means a mild and muddy winter until the end of December.” A weather proverb tied to the feast of Saint Michael (29 September), used to predict the coming winter.

  Vocabulary

  • jasny — clear, bright
  • słotny — rainy, wet, foul (of weather)
  • trwały — lasting, enduring
  • lekki — light, mild
  • błotny — muddy, boggy

  Grammar note

  The proverb uses nominative adjectives as predicates in an elliptical structure (the verb 'jest/będzie' is omitted). 'Do końca grudnia' uses the genitive after 'do' (until).

  Cultural context

  Saint Michael's Day (Michałki, 29 September) marks the transition into autumn in the Polish folk calendar and is associated with many weather-prediction proverbs.

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