May 12, 13 and 14 are the name days of the three so-called ‘Ice Saints’ in the Hungarian calendar: Pongrác, Szervác and Bonifác. Before weather forecasting became big business and a media event, Hungarian folklore created weather rhymes based on observing weather changes year by year. Szervác, Pongrác, Bonifác, megharagszik, fagyot ráz! – says a popular rhyme (Servatius, Poncratius, Bonifatius will get angry, and bring ice).

Due to the observation that in the first part of May temperatures may fall radically after some sunny spring days, even bringing icy temperatures and destroying crops, farmers plant the so-called sensitive vegetable plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and paprika only after this date. Farmers always dreaded these angry saints and no Hungarian parent would dare to name their child after any of them. According to legend, Pongrác got frozen wearing a woollen coat in the heat of the summer; Szervác drowned in the Tisza river though there was no water in it; and Bonifác was stung to death by mosquitoes – definitely the stuff of a horror film! That’s why they are so malicious and keep coming back to irritate people.
Modern weather forecasters never take responsibility for their wrong predictions, however. Folk wisdom, took care of that too, though. If these days happen to be mild and sunny, then wine production will be excellent. The rhyme goes like this: Sok bort hoz ám a három „ác”, (Pongrác, Szervác, Bonifác), ha felhőt egyiken se látsz! (The three ”-tius saints” will bring lots of wine if you can’t see any clouds on these days.)

Good advice for wine lovers and experts: check the May weather for the year in question and you can tell whether it’s a good vintage.

Source: https://magyarno.com/megjottek-a-fagyosszentek/