According to an Italian tradition that goes way back, 29th, 30th and 31st January are supposed to be the three coldest days of winter and they are called 'the blackbird's days' (i giorni della merla). They were - and still are - so cold that a ‘merla’ (a blackbird female), which in the past – as legend has it - used to have white feathers, was so cold and worried about his young chicks that could not find any better solution to warm up than going to land on a warm chimney.
They stayed there for three days, because the frost prevented them even to fly. Then fortunately February arrived. Pale as you like, but the sun was able to restore life and hope. The ‘merla’ and her chicks were then able to stretch, re-open their wings and fly away. The three days on the chimney, however, had produced a profound change in their plumage as it became black with soot, black without going back.From that day onwards all blackbirds were born black…
Keep warm!
