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The Devil & The Weather

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Anonymous

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have any of you ever heard of analogies between the devil and the weather? when i was growing up, i was always told that when it rains while the sun is shinning it means that the devil is beating his wife.
 
My wife always says 'it's the devil's birthday' when it is raining and sunny at the same time.
 
synthwerk said:
have any of you ever heard of analogies between the devil and the weather? when i was growing up, i was always told that when it rains while the sun is shinning it means that the devil is beating his wife.
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It's a new one on me.

Anoligies between the weather and god not that I have heard but the devil?

:confused:
 
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Never heard anything like that either. When it was thundering out and we asked our parents why the sky made that noise, they told us it was god bowling. That's the only thing I can think of.
 
I've definately heard the devil & wife story growing up; I just assumed it was a Southern thing. --I also heard that in Japan it's said that if the sun is shining while it's raining, a fox (kitsune) is going to her wedding.
 
synthwerk said:
have any of you ever heard of analogies between the devil and the weather? when i was growing up, i was always told that when it rains while the sun is shinning it means that the devil is beating his wife.
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I heard that too form my mother when I was growing up. I figured it was a Southern expression (I live in Alabama) but i have no idea what the origin of the phrase might be.

sureshot
 
snow = god's dandruff (early winter) or devil's dandruff (late winter)
thunder = devil's applause
lightning = a new devil born (or evil to come - it varies in the telling)
rain = god's blessing (never the devil)

These are all my Mum's sayings, passed down from her father and no doubt from his parents and so on.

Jane.
 
the mention of lightening reminded me: my Grandma remembered a belief about covering mirrors during a thunderstorm lest the devil (in the form of lightening) see his own reflection and be attracted into the house!
 
old ladies used to tell us that a broken burial vault or burial slab was usually the work of a lightning bolt sent by the devil
 
Anonymous said:
My wife always says 'it's the devil's birthday' when it is raining and sunny at the same time.
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I like this very much--I might try to start using the expression.

Can anybody suggest an origin for it?
 
Yithian said:
I like this very much--I might try to start using the expression.
Can anybody suggest an origin for it?
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I'm having trouble locating a reference to 'devil's birthday' in relation to simultaneous sunshine / rain.

I have, however, found some interesting / sardonic other usages for the phrase.

In Newfoundland English, it means "Day on which pea soup is served, Saturday ..."

http://books.google.com/books?id=XrVbk3EndTcC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&dq="devil's birthday" rain OR raining OR rains&source=bl&ots=Hr1wp7DWBH&sig=g2Upad8p_d9WinyJDexFPEaTzUo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-9aPO6ePVAhVF5SYKHY4PB0sQ6AEIRTAJ#v=onepage&q="devil's birthday" rain OR raining OR rains&f=false

In Denmark, it's a modern slang term for an officially-prescribed date on which loan repayments and interest payments must occur.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Birthday

There are at least 2 books accessible on Google Books entitled Devil's Birthday - both of which mention rain, but neither of which mention 'devil's birthday' within the text.
 
There's a rather famous book about Arnhem with that title, but I can't discern a link...
paratroopers.. objects from the sky...
 
This mythology blog entry:

http://mythicjourneys.org/calendar_june.html

... suggests the Danish version may extend farther back in history, because it states June 11:

"... was the end of the contract year and masters and servants were free to renegotiate their contracts or part ways. It was also called The Devil's Birthday."
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This December 2006 blog page:

http://gallacreek.blogspot.com/2006/12/rain-and-sun-together.html

... alludes to 'devil's birthday' in the context of mixed sun and rain.

"Yesterday it rained nearly all day. Part of the time the sun was out brightly in the drizzle. Mom always said if it rained and the sun was shinning it was the Devil's birthday so I guess he was born Dec. 30."
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The geo-association for the blog / blogger(s) is Galla Creek, Arkansas.
 
I love stuff like this... As far as The devil's birthday goes I found this..... but it has nothing to do with the weather....

"See, that’s why I don’t celebrate Halloween, it’s the Devil’s birthday.” OK, you’re right – here’s the story. Halloween, as celebrated by witchcraftians, was celebrated in the name of the devil. People who participated in religions relating to witchcraft commonly celebrated Halloween as the birthday or thankful day for the Devil."

https://www.obamaeagle.org/uncatego...oes-have-many-different-origins-connotations/
 
Never heard of any of those but my grand dad used to say thunder was
a bag of coal being tipped in the cellar.
 
It was God moving His furniture around during my early childhood.
 
RaM said:
Never heard of any of those but my grand dad used to say thunder was
a bag of coal being tipped in the cellar.
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It was the clouds bumping into each other when I was little. I actually took that as a reasonable explanation until a "wait a minute...!" moment in my teens.
 
GNC said:
It was the clouds bumping into each other when I was little. I actually took that as a reasonable explanation until a "wait a minute...!" moment in my teens.
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Yep, that was the version I heard when I was a kid.
 
We always say the Devil is beating his wife around here.
 
MrRING said:
We always say the Devil is beating his wife around here.
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In relation to thunder? Or in relation to closely co-occurring rain and sunshine?
 
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