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Snake Day: the Day the Earth Opens

In Romanian folklore, March 17 is Snake Day, the day on which the ground opens, and animals that burrow in the ground emerge at the end of winter. It is a day on which people traditionally clean their fruit trees and their households. Storks return to build their nests, fish begin to swim, bees emerge from their hives and many people plant their first seed on this day.

The master of the insects and snakes who live in the ground is a folk figure named Alexie, who was going to sea when he met God. God had been cleaning insects from the earth, putting them in a bag. He gave the bag to Alexie, and asked him to throw it in the water without opening it. Alexie, of course, was curious, and opened the bag to see what was inside, thus allowing all of the insects to escape and re-populate the earth. In punishment, God turned Alexie into a stork, so that he would have an easier time of catching all of the insects that he had let loose.

St. Patrick, who is also celebrated on this day, is also associated with snakes, as it is said that he banished the snakes from Ireleand.

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