The night of January 20 is Saint Agnes' Eve. On this night, a girl's prayer to Saint Agnes, to send a vision of her future husband in a dream, might be answered.
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| Illustration of Saint Agnes |
But what if you never remember your dreams? What if you never dream? Sleep researchers say everyone dreams three to four times a night, but dreams are quickly forgotten. It's easiest to remember a dream if you wake up in the middle of one, during or just after REM sleep. REM sleep periods occur at ninety minute intervals.
The last dreams of the night are usually longer and more detailed.
While you're still lying in bed pondering the vision of your future spouse, the clanging alarm might wake everyone else in the house. Don't blurt out your intended's identity (if you know him) or his description right away. According to superstition, you must wait ten days before telling the world, or he might not marry you.
Keats' poem The Eve of St. Agnes is based on this superstition.
If you go to bed at midnight Jan. 20, set your alarm for 7:30 or 9 a.m. and don't leap up to shut off the alarm. You'll have a better chance of remembering your dream if you lie still and think about it.
Read the story of St. Agnes, with how-to details about traditional St. Agnes Eve divinatory rituals here.
Read the story of St. Agnes, with how-to details about traditional St. Agnes Eve divinatory rituals here.
While you're still lying in bed pondering the vision of your future spouse, the clanging alarm might wake everyone else in the house. Don't blurt out your intended's identity (if you know him) or his description right away. According to superstition, you must wait ten days before telling the world, or he might not marry you.
But what if you dream about someone you couldn't imagine marrying? Will telling the world change your fate?
Keats' poem The Eve of St. Agnes is based on this superstition.
But after reading St. Agnes' story, and the fate of her sister, you might wish for a dreamless night. What happened is still happening today, where women are treated like property and abused.
