Farmers' Rules

The term "Lostag" is derived from "go", an old word for "fate". When determining the Lost Days, one often oriented oneself to the name days or days of remembrance (mostly death days) of Catholic saints. One example is St. Gallus, where in olden times the grape harvest was supposed to end (16 October). This day also used to be the end of the temporary work for the vineyard keepers. The seriousness or correctness of farm rules has always been questioned, which is documented by sayings like "If the cock crows at the dung heap, the weather changes - or it stays as it is". Statistical investigations in the 1990s showed an astonishingly high degree of accuracy, taking into account the area of origin of the respective country code. If one now takes into account the date shift of ten days resulting from the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the degree of reliability even increases, according to the opinion of adherents.

However, the scientific explanation for the high accuracy of the lost days is provided by the general weather conditions, which become apparent at an early stage or are very likely to recur annually. The lottery tickets only show statistical relationships. The weather is not based on them, there is no causal connection. The probability for individual lottery days is between 60 and 90%. In contrast, weather forecasts for the next week are only over 50%. The reason for this is that in the former case, there are often only general 50:50 statements (rain, no rain), whereas in the latter case, much more complex forecasts are made. From a scientific point of view, the rules of the pagan are to be assigned to the field of esotericism.

There are also numerous farm rules or lostages in viticulture. These do not necessarily have to conform to the rules for general agriculture. For example, rain at the time of the grape harvest is undesirable for the winegrower, but can be advantageous for a farmer who grows other crops. An example is the saying: "September rain - a blessing for the farmer, poison for the winegrower when it hits him" It is noticeable that grain and wine often share a "common fate". And now 100 winemaking rules/lots from January to December:

• If Epiphany is bright and clear, there is good wine in the new year (January 6)
• If the Vincentian has a flood of water, it is not good for the wine (January 22)
• Sunshine for Vincenzo - brings lots of grain and wine (22 January)
• If there is sunshine at St. Vincent's, fill the barrel with good wine (22 January)
• On the day Vincent Vincent, every vine must sprout (22 January)
• On St. Paul's Sunshine, brings a lot of fruit and wine into the cellar (25 January)
• If Martina brings sunshine, one hopes for much grain and wine (30 January)
• If January is mild, the grapes in October are excellent (January)
• At St. Agathe sunshine, brings quite a lot of grain and wine (5. February)
• Saint Eulalia sunshine, brings lots of fruit and good wine (12th February)
• If it rains on Saint Valentine's Day, half the harvest is gone (14 February)
• If it has frozen in the Petersnacht, the frost leaves us then unshorn (22. Feber)
• March not too dry and not too wet, fills the farmer's crate and barrel (March)
• April cold and wet, fills scourer and barrel (April 9)
• If the vines on Georgi are still blind, husband and child rejoice (April 23)
• Vines blind to Georgi, full grapes later (April 23)
• If it's Markus Sonnenschein, then the winegrower has good wine (April 25)
• March fog brings no misery, but April fog takes wine and bread (April)
• Who wants to bind the vine in April, will find little wine in autumn (April)
• April storm and rain force announces wine and golden fruit (April)
• Cooler not wet cold May, brings good wine and lots of hay (May 6)
• If the icy saints pass by without frost, farmers and winegrowers shout juchhei (11-15 May)
• Until Pancratius, Servatius and Boniface pass by, May is not safe from the cold
• Mamertus, Pankratius, Servatius - stand for cold and annoyance (11-13 May)
• Pankrazi, Servazi, Bonifazi, are 3 frosty Bazi, and in the end, the cold Sophie is never missing
• When St. Pancras freezes, a lot of things in the vineyard are ruined (12 May)
• After Servaz - the frost finds no place (13 May)
• No summer before Bonifaz, no frost after Sophie (May 14)
• Sophie has often brought frost, and made some plants dead (May 15)
• Cold Sophie is her name, because she often comes running with cold (May 15)
• The Nepomuk makes us the water that makes us laugh a good spring (May 16)
• Holy Saint Nepomuk, drive back the pouring water (May 16)
• Urban has sunshine, there is plenty and good wine (25 May)
• Sankt Urban bright and pure, blesses the barrels (25 May)
• If Urban has sunshine, there is a lot and good wine, if it brings a shower of rain, it will turn sour (25 May)
• When the sun is shining on Urban Day, wine thrives according to the old saying' (25 May)
• When the sun shines on Urban Day, the wine becomes a delight, but if it rains, it takes damage and is heavily damaged (25 May)
• Pankraz and Urban without rain, bring great harvest blessing (25 May)
• The weather that Urbanus has, also during the harvest takes place (25 May)
• When Urban is not having good weather, he is escorted into the puddle (25 May)
• Evening dew and cool in May, brings lots of wine and brings lots of hay (May)
• Medardus no longer brings frost that would be dangerous for the vine (June 8)
• If it rains on St. Barnabas, the good wine in the barrel (11 June)
• When it rains on Barnabas, the grapes swim into the barrel (11 June)
• When the wine has blossomed on San Vito, it brings a beautiful wine year (15 June)
• O St. Vitus - do not rain, lest we be broken by wine (June 15)
• Up to Johanni it can rain sometimes, after that he comes inconveniently (24 June)
• If the seven sleepers get wet, it will continue to rain barrel after barrel (27 June)
• It rains on Peter and Paul - the winegrower's harvest is rotten (June 29)
• On St. Paulus sunshine, brings a lot of fruit and wine in the cellar and barn (29 June)
• If June brings dry embers, then the wine will do us good (June)
• June dry more than wet, fills the barrel with good wine (June)
• In June the north wind is good for the grain and also for the vine blood (June)
• Only in the heat of July, fruit and wine will also be good (July)
• July thunderstorms appreciate winemakers and reapers (July)
• A vine and a goat, it's never too hot in July (July)
• What July commits, September does not save (July)
• What the dog days water, the grape must atone for (23 July to 24 August)
• If the next wine is to flourish, St. Benno must be calm (August 3)
• Oswaldtag must be dry, otherwise grain and wine will be expensive (August 5)
• To Laurentius, it is custom, the wood stops growing (August 10)
• When St. Lawrence comes with a hot breath - he fills the winegrower's barrel and belly (August 10)
• If the Lorenz is good and fine, so will the grape (August 10)
• If grapes/fruit are to multiply, the thunderstorms must stop with Lorenz (10. Aug)
• Assumption of the Virgin Mary clear sunshine, usually brings a lot of good wine (August 15)
• So the weather to Bartholomew is, at it the winter measures itself (August 24)
• Rain at St. Bartolomä - hurts the vines bitterly (August 24)
• Thunderstorms around Bartholomä, bring hail and snow (August 24)
• If August doesn't want to make the winemaker laugh, September can't do much more
• If there is rain in August, it rains honey and good wine (August)
• August ripens the berry, September has the honour (August)
• A vine and a goat never gets too hot in August (August)
• If there are many gold beetles running in August, the host does not need to baptize the wine (August)
• If there are many gold beetles running in August, the host does not need to buy the wine (August)
• The heavier the rain in August, the thinner the must (August)
• The heavier the rain in August, the thicker the wine and must (August)
• August rain acts like poison when it hits the ripening grapes (August)
• In August a lot of rain is no blessing for wine (August)
• September rain - seeds and vines come in handy (20 September)
• Matthew, when he weeps instead of laughing, vinegar from the wine he makes (September 21)
• Matthew weather bright and clear, brings good wine next year (21 September)
• Michaelis wine becomes sweet and fine (29 September)
• September rain - blessing the farmer, poisoning the winegrower when it hits him (September)
• Saint Burkhardi Sunshine, pouring sugar into the wine (October 14)
• At Theres is the grape harvest (15 October)
• To Terese always begins - the grape harvest, every child knows (15 October)
• You have to carry butts until St. Gallus, the wine will not suit you (16. Oct)
• At St. Galles, everything should be at home (October 16)
• Must Gallus be a butter carrier, it's a bad sign for the wine (October 16)
• St. Gallus is sick and tired when he has to carry briar (October 16)
• October sunshine pours sugar into the wine (October)
• If it rains a lot in hops and grapes, it will rob wine and beer (October)
• October a rough wind blows, then warm yourself with a rush (October)
• If November has a white beard, the winter will be long and hard (November)
• Bringing St. Stephen's Wind, the winemakers are not pleased (December 26)
• St. Stephen's must be calm if the next wine is to flourish (December 26)
• New Year's Eve little wind and morning sun, gives much hope for wine and grain
• New Year's Eve wind, early sunshine, does not bring good wine (New Year's Eve)
• Wind in Saint Silvester's night, never brought wine and grain (New Year's Eve)

See also under the related keywords customs in viticulture, toasts and quotations.

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