Samida's Voice

One of the things that I love the most about our South Louisiana culture is the observance of feast days of the saints and holy days in the Church. They are like mini-holidays that mark the mundane weeks and months. I love the lore that they hold, and the way that they connect us to our French past. I especially like to observe the feast day of Saint Medard, June 8. When I started to ask questions to my family about local history, "the Samida", as they called it, was always one of the first things to come up. They said that if it rains on this day, it will rain for forth days. If it is dry, there will be a dry spell for 40 days. I loved how my family called it le Samida (it soudned like Sammy-Da). I also especially loved observing the weather on that day, and since it falls at the beginning of the summer season of humidity and looming afternoon storms, it usually will rain, unless we are in drought. I remember years not too long ago when farmers were praying to the Saint for rain. 

With the storms that blow out here on the prairie come the occasion to see les jambes de pluie, the legs of the rain, the local appellation for the streaks that form when falling rain is visible from a distance. I imagine that they were the legs of the Saint, walking across the land, bringing rain with his steps. Today, true to form and seemingly out of the blue, he appeared from the west. I saw les jambes de pluie approach, and, when the storm was upon us, that his legs were actually made of twin lightning strikes. I even heard his voice: 

Samida in the west coming across the Prairie des Femmes

Rain arrives from the West in Acadiana on the Feast of Saint Medard

By the time the storm was hot pink and grey on the Prairie des Femmes, the lights had gone out and it was high time for our afternoon coffee. There was gas for a fire but no water pressure. Lucky I had collected rainwater in a basin on the porch, and so I was forced to drink some Saint Medard rainwater coffee milk. Right after that, the rain stopped and in the east appeared a rainbow. I even think I saw Samida smile.

Samida's upside down smile