29, 30 and 31 January are known as the days of the blackbird, and popular belief holds that they are the coldest period of the year. In reality, there is no need to get your blankets and herbal teas ready, unless that is a comfort you simply love to indulge in: meteorologist Daniele Berlusconi of 3Bmeteo.com explains that "the coldest ten-day period of the year varies depending on the region, tending to shift later as you move towards the South."

If you live in the north, the worst has probably already passed; if you are from the south, the lowest temperatures are expected in February. It is central Italy that most tends to honour the tradition of the days of the blackbird, but one must bear in mind that across the country the average temperature over those 3 days is 3.6 degrees, against a January average of 2.9, according to research by the Centro geofisico prealpino.

Is climate change behind it?

So why did this belief arise? One hypothesis is that in the past the days of the blackbird, and January in general, were colder than they are today. This would confirm that temperatures have risen as a result of climate change. This year too they will be mild, with high pressure arriving over almost all of Italy and much of the continent. "There is no trace of winter in Europe, confirming a January with temperatures above the seasonal average in several countries," reports 3Bmeteo.com.

The days of the blackbird: legends…

Even if the days of the blackbird are not the coldest of the year, that does not mean they are no longer the subject of traditions and beliefs widespread across Italy. One of the legends said to explain the origin of the name tells of how, at the end of January, a bitter frost gripped the city and a blackbird was forced to go in search of food to feed his family. The cold was so intense that, while waiting for him, his mate had the idea of moving the nest close to a chimney pot. The feathers of the female blackbird and her chicks became covered in soot, which is why to this day their appearance differs from that of the males.

…and traditions

In Sardinia, the days of the blackbird are called sas dies imprestadas, the borrowed days, which the month of January is said to have asked of February, causing the death of a shepherd and his sheep: according to legend, only one of them managed to survive by taking shelter under the "labiolu", the copper cauldron used to make cheese. In the province of Cremona, musical events are organised to sing the traditional blackbird choirs. In the upper Valtellina, in the north of Lombardy, children chase away winter to the sound of cowbells and in the first days of February there are celebrations because "l'è fö l'urs da la tana" (the bear has come out of its den). Traditions that enrich the varied folk culture of our country.