When we consider how many beautiful and symbolic rites and observances have marked the celebration of saint’s days and holidays in the Old World, and how few of these have been preserved by the inhabitants of our own country, we must find this most regrettable. Of late years there has been a marked tendency to increase the number of holidays, and in a few cases to revive the celebration of old holidays, but the popular idea of the best way to celebrate these occasions seems to be confined to making them carnivals of noise and disorder. This is largely owing to a lack of intelligent guidance, for it is too much to expect that any people, above all those so practical as our American people, can spontaneously evolve, at short notice, an emblematic expression of the idea underlying the festival. If, however, a beautiful and adequate symbolism were presented in a concrete form, the masses of the people would grasp its significance quickly enough, and would thus gain a higher and better conception of the historic anniversary or the time-honored festival they were called upon to celebrate. The saint’s days on which the summer and winter solstices fell were memorized by distichs. For instance: St. Barnaby bright! St. Barnaby bright! The longest day and the shortest night. St. Thomas gray! St. Thomas gray! The longest night and the shortest day. The former of the verses is probably the earlier, as St. Barnabas’ Day is June 11, the day on which the summer solstice fell in England for some time before the reform of the “Old Style” calendar, in 1752, replaced this date; while St. Thomas’ Day is December 21, the date of the winter solstice in our modern calendar.[506] Writing of the origin of the rural superstitions in regard to the weather on certain saint’s days, Wehrenfels quotes the distich: If Paul’s Day be fair and clear It foreshows an happy Year. and continues: The contrary has happened a thousand Times, but however this cannot destroy the Rule. It once happened; certainly, say they, these Rules of the Husbandmen are not to be despised; see how exactly they are made good by Experience. Thus a great Part of Mankind reasons; which if one consider, he will neither depend much upon the Content of the common People in these Things, nor wonder at so great a Number of most silly Opinions.[507] VERSES ON SAINTS’ DAYS AT VARIOUS SEASONS OF THE YEAR.[508] January 25. Saint Paul’s Day: If the clouds make dark the sky, Great store of people then will die; If there be either snow or rain, Then will be dear all kinds of grain. (Robin Forby, “Vocabulary of East Anglia,” London, 1830.) Somewhat different in a Latin form: Clara dies Pauli multas segetes nitant amni, Si fuerint nebulæ, aut venti, erunt proelia genti. February 2. Candlemas Day: