People have been trying to predict things for ages, often relying on emerging technology and evolving knowledge to make their claims, but sometimes, a rather low-tech method sticks around and becomes tradition. St Swithin’s Day is an institution passed down through the living, but the reasons behind its origin are entirely rooted in death.

St Swithin was ordained the Bishop of Winchester in 852, and after his death, requested to be buried outside of Wincester Cathedral, so the rain could wash over him. However, some time later, it was decided to move Swithin’s body inside the cathedral, to a shrine. According to legend, there was a massive storm and it rained for 40 days following the move, citing Swithin’s posthumous displeasure at being dry once more.
It is from this single misstep from a dead man’s wishes that Britons look to 15 July as an indicator of the weather for the next 40 days. If it rains on St Swithin’s day, it is said to continue to do so for the next 40 days, but if it is fair, that good weather will also continue for the same period of time.
The accuracy of this claim has been proven false time and time again, yet we still prescribe to the tall tale, and St Swithin can’t claim his day of faulty prophecy as the only one leading people astray. In honour of the myth and mirth that is St. Swithin’s Day, MSN UK brings you some superstitions and prediction methods that have captured curiosities across the globe.
Kelsey Proud, Reporter, MSN UK News