- 1
- St David (d. 544)
- 2
- St Ceada (Chad): As a meditation, St. Chad was known to spend all night immersed up to his neck in a holy well. Traditionally on this day honor was paid by cleaning holy wells and making offerings of flowers.
- 3
- St Cunegundes (Kunegunde)
- St Winwaloe (Winnal): St. Winnal is a Christian version of Aegir, a Teutonic god of the sea. As controller of the sea's tides and weather, St. Winnal's holy day is associated with storms.
First comes David,
Next comes Chad,
Then comes Winnal,
Roaring mad.
- 4
- St Casimir (1310-1370)
- 6
- St Colette (1380-1447)
- 7
- St Perpetua and Felicitas (d. 203)
- 9
- St Frances (1384-1440)
- St Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 330-395)
- 11
- St Sophronius (seventh century)
- 12
- St Maximilian (d. 295)
- St Theophanes (d. 818)
- 13
- St Euphrasia (380-410)
- 14
- St Maud (Mathildis) d. 968)
- 15
- St Zacharias (d. 752)
- Ides of March: Traditionally, river sprites or nymphs are acknowledged on the Ides of March.
- 16
- St Abraham (d. ca. 360)
- 17
- St Joseph of Arimathea (first century)
- St Patrick (d. 464)
- Trefuilnid Treochair, the national day of Ireland
- 18
- St. Cyril (b. ca. 315-386)
- St Edward the Martyr (ca. 962-979)
- 19
- St Joseph (first century)
- 20
- St Cuthbert (d. 687)
- 22
- St Basil of Ancyra (d. 362)
- 26
- St Ludger (743-809)
- 28
- St Tutilo (d. ca. 915)
- 29
- St Rupert (d. ca. 710)
- 30
- St Zosimus of Syracuse (d. ca. 660)
- Easter: Beginning on Septuagesima (the third Sunday before Lent) and ending on Trinity day, the Easter celebration lasted about 120 days. Easter day was celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox. An important part of the Easter celebration was Lent, which started Ash Wednesday and ended on Easter Day. During this forty-day period, no marriages could take place and fasting was expected. During the Easter feast, plays and skits of St. George and Noah were the favorites. Dances also played an important role. Participants stamped around in wooden shoes in an effort to awaken the sleeping spring spirits. "Pace eggs" also played a role in the festivities. These decorated eggs were used as a centerpiece after being blessed by a priest. In parts of England, the eggs were exchanged between men and women or given to the mummers as pay.
Photo credits: (Related Resources) (1) Opening page of calendar, elaborate border design with human figures, 1530, Digital Collections, The New York Public Library on Wikimedia Commons, (2) Medieval folding almanac, ca. 15th century, Wellcome Library on Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
