17.08.2010 Searching for 'Saint Juttemis'

There’s bad news today for all the mums and dads who promised to double their children’s pocket money when pigs fly. It’s an equally unfortunate day for civil servants intending to make as many planning permission applicants possible wait until the cows come home. Holidaymakers who assumed that holiday feeling would last until pigs have wings. Today, there’s no escaping the fact that many sources – in the Netherlands at least – are claiming that today is the feast day of Saint Juttemis (sint‑juttemis), which is used in all manner of idioms expressing improbability, including ‘when pigs fly’ or ‘when pigs have wings’ (met sint-juttemis) and ‘wait until the cows come home’ (wachten tot sint‑juttemis).

For many, this not only fuels a sense of foreboding, but also comes as a bit of a surprise. Of all the feast days, ‘Saint Juttemis’ day is perhaps the least appreciated. For understandable reasons, the Dutch government does little to raise public awareness about it. No celebrations are linked to this day, and few diaries include this day in the overview of public holidays. This is set to change, however, as a growing number of publicly available sources more clearly and decisively associate Saint Juttemis with 17 August. Everyone from the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia to the well respected authority on Dutch language Onze Taal is prepared to make the assertion.

Calves

According to these sources, ‘Juttemis’ most likely refers to the Book of Judith, and the name day of the woman referred to falls on 17 August. But what is the explanation for the association in Dutch with a day that will never come? According to these sources, this can be attributed to the fact that the entire original expression is no longer fully understood: ‘On Saint Juttemis Day, when the calves dance on ice’ (Met sint-juttemis als de kalveren op het ijs dansen). It makes sense when you remember that there is no ice in the Netherlands in August and that calves can’t dance.

But doesn’t the actual existence of this day leave the status of the convenient expression met sint-juttemis unsettled? Ineke Strouken, Executive Director of the Dutch Centre for Popular Culture (Nederlands Centrum voor Volkscultuur), isn’t having any of it. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s a bunch of nonsense. The association with the date 17 August was pulled out of thin air. It all started in the 1920s when this ‘fact’ was included in the Dictionary of Middle Dutch (Middelnederlands woordenboek). The reason behind its inclusion, however, are completely unclear. What we do know is that the expression has been used for centuries and that people have been researching its origins for years. As there was no Saint Juttemis, people focused on Saint Judith and Saint Jutta. Neither have their name day on 17 August, however. Check for yourself, 17 August is associated with the name Jeroen.”

Fictional saint

Strouken acknowledges no credible link between Saint Juttemis and a specific day. It is clear, however, that this misconception is gaining ground. Around 17 August, Strouken is busy responding to questions about the alleged saint. She is resolute, however, Saint Juttemis is now and will remain a fictional saint without a feast day. “I’m sorry to have to disappoint you. I know I’m sinking the hopes of all those who are tired of waiting, but met sint-juttemis has only one meaning: ‘when pigs fly’, ‘when the cows come home’, never. Truly never. The rest is just embellishment.

Source: de Volkskrant (Raoul du Pré), 17 August 2010. Translated from Dutch.