Eisheilige or Ice Saints in Germany are the days from May 11 until May 15 which mark the days when you can still expect ground frost, hence the reference to ice. Those days were important to farmers and many Bauernregeln (farmer’s rules) refer to the Eisheiligen. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t plant before May 15 in order to not risk young plants being killed by frost.
Other names for the Ice Saints are Maifröste (May Frosts), Eismänner (Ice Men), and Gestrenge Herren (Strict Gentlemen). But the latter two only apply to St. Pancras, St. Servatius and St. Boniface. It excludes the Ice Saint that most people know is Die Kalte Sophie (Cold Sophie) which falls on May 15.
May 11: St. Mamertus
St. Mamertus is the first of the Ice Saints if you live in northern Germany. For people in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the Ice Saints start with Pankratius on May 12.
Mamertus was the bishop of Vienne in Gaul (now France) in the 5th century. He established supplicatory processions on the three days before Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) which by the way is Father’s Day in Germany. Vienne and the surrounding areas experienced many earthquakes and fires and Mamertus These litanies were intended as intercessions against earthquakes and other natural disasters, and eventually were established as three minor rogation processions. Fasting and litanies were to ensure good weather and protection from drought and pestilence.
Among Mamertus’ performed miracles is the saving of a city from fire by praying. He therefore is the Patron Saint of fire departments, though he also functions as Patron Saint of shepherds. He is called upon in case of drought, fever, and breast diseases.
The holy Mamertus has a heart of ice.
May 12: St. Pancras
The Ice Saint for May 12th is St. Pancras or Pankratius (Pankraz) and the youngest among them. He died a martyr at the age of 14 after he refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods and stood by his Christian belief.
Orphaned by the age of 8, he moved to Rome with his uncle where they both converted to Christianity. During these early days of the Christian church, Roman Emperor Diocletian persecuted and executed Christians. It is said that Pancras defied Diocletian personally and wouldn’t renounce his faith even with the promise of wealth. Pancras was beheaded on May 12, 303 AD (possibly).
Pankratius is the Patron Saint of children and knights, for seedtime and flowering, for plans and a good future. He is called upon against perjury, for headaches, cramps, and skin diseases.
If it freezes on St. Pancras, much is ruined in the garden.
May 13: St. Servatius
Traditionally it is said that Servatius was born in Armenia (possibly the beginning of the 4th century) and was part of the Holy Kin. He was the bishop of Tongern in Belgium, led there by angels, and moved the seat of the bishop to Maastricht to protect it from the attacking Huns (or possibly other “barbarians”). It is in Maastricht where he died, probably on May 13th, 384. Many of his relics have been passed to churches around the world.
It is said that Servatius had a vision of the Huns attacking but they didn’t attack until 450, so there is one mismatch of historical facts and story. Moving the bishop’s seat to Maastricht also happened later. It is possible or even likely that over the centuries two historical figures and their stories have been mixed.
St. Servatius is the Patron Saint of the city of Maastricht, Goslar, and Quedlinburg. He is called upon for foot troubles, rheumatism, fever, problems with mice and rats, and damages from frost.
In this painting of St. Servatius located in the Maastricht Basilica of Our Lady you can see several elements that are associated with Servatius’ life. The bishop staff indicates his position as a bishop. St. Peter gave him a key that could forgive all sins. The dragon on which he stands is a symbol of heresy which he defeated.
Other stories about Servatius are: When he preached (in Greek) all people could miraculously understand him in their native language. Servatius slept on the side of the road on his way from Rome to Tongern. An eagle spread its wings over him to protect him from the sun and attackers.
was der Frühling gebracht, zerstören sie wieder.
Pancras and Servatius are two evil brothers
what spring has brought, they destroy again.
May 14: St. Boniface
The Ice Saint for May 14th is St. Boniface of Tarsus. He died a martyr in Tarsus (now Turkey) in 307.
Supposedly he lived in Rome, was a pagan, and possibly a slave and/or lover of Patrician woman Aglaida (also sometimes referred to Aglai). Boniface was sent to Rome to collect relics of martyred Christians, and while there he witnessed the cruelty of the persecution of the Christians. He was impressed by the Christians that didn’t recant their belief.
Boniface himself converted to Christianity, was caught, tortured with boiling tar and hot lead before he was beheaded.
His bones now became the relics that Aglaida had wanted. She also became a Christian, built a church in Boniface’s honor, gave her money to the poor, and lived in a monastery. She apparently was able to exorcise evil spirits.
Before Boniface no summer, after Sophie no frost.
May 15: St. Sophia of Rome
Last but not least: St. Sophia of Rome, a martyr from the 4th century, in the vernacular called Die Kalte Sophie – The cold Sophie.
Sophia of Rome died a martyr in 304 when Diocletian was persecuting the Christians. Some of her relics were moved to San Martino ai Monti, while others were translated to the Monastery Eschau in Alsace. Not much more is known about her.
Many think that her life story overlaps with the Sophia of Milan who didn’t herself die the martyr death but died grieving her martyred daughters, Faith, Hope, and Charity. It is not clear if we are dealing with one or two holy Sophias.
Don't plant before the cold Sophie.
Does the Farmer's Rule still Apply?
Bauernregeln (farmer’s rules) are based on observations of nature that helped farmers decide when to plant and when to harvest. When your livelihood and survival depend on nature, it’s helpful to be able to anticipate and predict the weather.
Many of the weather lore sayings that we still know today came up in the Middle Ages and were tied to feast days in the church. Rhyming is common so you can remember them more easily. While we are not depended on nature as much as we used to, these sayings are still around.
The lore around the Eisheiligen is a singularity, a weather phenomenon that occurs around a specific day and falls outside of the expected weather pattern. It varies depending on location. Other singularities are cold spell in June (Schafskälte) or a warm period around St. Martin’s Day around November 11 (Martini-Sommer).
The question is if we should wait until after May 15 (Kalte Sophie) before we do any planting? Because these farmer’s rules have been around forever they aren’t necessarily helpful for us now. Weather patterns have changed, we had a little Ice Age, and we switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. Most weather sayings applied to specific areas or regions which explains why some rules seem to contradict each other and that the Eisheiligen start on May 11 with St. Mamertus in the north but only a day later further in the south. If you don’t know where a farmer’s rule originated it is almost useless.
As far as the weather lore around the Eisheiligen is concerned, in 60% of the years, there is no night or ground frost in that time period. However, looking at the years 1993-2021, there seems to be a drop in temperature around the May 11-15. A similar drop was observed in the years 1893-1921, but around May 22.
If you want to be sure, look at the average temperature of your town or region, and make a decision based on that.
