Frost Saints' Days

These three consecutive days in May mark the feasts of St. Mammertus, St. Pancras, and St. Servatus. In the wine-growing districts of France, a severe cold spell occasionally strikes at this time of year, inflicting serious damage on the grapevines; some in rural France have believed that it is the result of their having offended one of the three saints, who for this reason are called the "frost saints." French farmers have been known to show their displeasure over a cold snap at this time of year by flogging the statues and defacing the pictures of Mammertus, Pancras, and Servatus. More...

Three Saints – Saints de Glace

In France April Frost is known as Lune Rousse – Ginger Moon.

It corresponds to the lunar month that starts with the New Moon following Easter, generally between April 5 and May 5.

Cloudless nights, clear skies and cold winds can easily trigger temperatures to severely drop overnight!

The name of Lune Rousse – Ginger Moon doesn’t reflect the colour of the moon but the fact that all young shoots turn into a rusty colour as they get frost damaged if not protected at night.

In 2014 April Frost will last from April 29 to May 27!

Hahaha it is funny I must admit. Surely by we cant be blaming the poor Saints who would have spent their entire lives trying to do good. Obviously something is wrong. Maybe the region is not the right one to plant grapes. Maybe a warmer region do when the temperature falls at time of the year they will not feel the severity of it. (A little bit like saying maybe we should move to the desert areas of Egypt. Even Natives do not live in certain areas. They just uninhabited because of the severity of th the weather). Perhaps it is not the right time to plant the grapes
Maybe after the severe season. Maybe by this time it should all have been harvested. One or the other.

God loves us and always there is a solution to our troubles...If only we were to ask.😣

the french only like french

Tuesday May 15
Ice Saints fail to deliver
No frost at St Pancras

By Philip Eden

The 'Ice Saints' appear to be sleeping on the job this year. In old country weather lore St Mamertus, St Pancras and St Servatius, whose feast days fall on May 11, 12 and 13 respectively, were known as the Ice Saints because they were associated with a su dden deterioration in the weather which habitually occurred around mid-month. This regular cold snap was certainly evident during the 20th century, with almost 60 years out of 100 experiencing a sharp reversal in the normal warming trend between May 10 an d 20. The fickle British climate rarely produces a 'singularity' as reliable as that, so it is no surprise that it should have become enshrined in ancient lore.

The Ice Saints do not work their magic every year, but rarely can the weather have been as far removed from the traditional north wind, night frosts and wintry showers as it has this year. The recent heatwave brought temperatures as high as 28°C at Ri ckmansworth (Hertfordshire) and 24°C as far north as Aviemore (Inverness-shire). These are the highest mid-May temperatures since 1992, although coincidentally it was almost as warm on the same dates in 2000. and 1998. The temperature has now dropped in all parts of the UK, but the signs are that this will not be one of those years when the frosty nights come a few days late as temperatures are expected to climb again towards the weekend.

Even for those of us who dislike hot weather, a warm spell in May is usually welcomed. It banishes memories of the winter just past, it brings on the garden nicely, and it helps dry out cricket-grounds and muddy lanes. Sometimes we get a fully-fledged hea twave: the earliest date in the year to reach 30°C was May 12, in 1945. Sometimes it never happens, and in 1972 for instance the temperature failed to reach 21°C anywhere in the UK during the entire month of May.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/feature/ne150501.htm