Giorni della merla

So as most of you know, I tutor a little boy, Brando, here in Italy.  I have to take the bus to the bottom of their street and then the mom or grandpa picks me up and drives me up into the hills of Bologna, through their gated street to their mansion where they feed me juice, fruit and amazing snacks like nutella and bread.  I know, hard life.  Anyways the reason I am boring you all with the details of my fabulous life is that each day on our drive to the house I get to have a nice conversation with the family.  Today I was talking with the grandfather and he told me something really interesting.  The last three days in January, the 29, 30, and 31, are called "i Giorni della merla" and are said to be the coldest days of the year.  This translates as "Days of the Blackbird".  

According to a legend, a white bird and her chicks were cold during these days and took refuge from the cold in a chimney.  When they came out three days later on February 1st, they were black.  That is how the blackbird was created and from that day on, all blackbirds were always completely black.  Another thing people day about these days is that everything turn black like the blackbird because the fire is always going and the smoke turn everything black.  That was the version that Brando's grandfather told me. 

Baci xx