Rain-makers in reverse

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 14

Rain-makers in reverse

We often have rain in August, but children are not expected to do anything about it. A long time ago, however, it was believed that children — and children only — had the power to change the weather.

If you had lived in acient Rome, for example, your mother would have asked you to sing a magic spell on a wet day. It would have been very similar to the well known: Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day.

In ancient Greece, on the other hand the weather charm on a dark day was

Come forth, beloved sun.

You probably know a number of rain rhymes although you may not believe they work. If you are sick of wet weather, you might say: Rain, rain, go to Spain, Never show your face again.

Perhaps, though, you may only wish it to disappear for a while and so would say instead: Rain, rain, go away, Come again on washing day. Then again you might be feeling generous and offer the rain a reward for staying away. You would sing: And when I brew, and when I bake, I’ll give you a figgy cake. But rain isn’t always a nuisance. You can have a lot of fun in it. You can run outside and feel it all over you; and you can splash in puddles. You can catch it on your tongue, and you wash your hair in it. You can sail boats in the gutters and build dams. And at night, feeling snug and warm, you can listen to it pounding on the roof. . »