One might think that this expression originated in the North with its harsh winters, however its invention is claimed by the Provençals, and particularly by the Marseillais.
It is explained by the good weather which generally reigns in this region and which does not require you to cover up excessively.
If we see you wrapped up in several layers of clothing,
“like an onion”,
we can bet that you will be entitled to it!
This image is said to come from the legend of Saint George of Lydda.
Let us remember: Georges de Lydda was born in Cappadocia, into a Christian family.
Military, he became an officer in the Roman army;
he was raised by the Emperor Diocletian to the first ranks of the army.
One day, as he rode his white horse through the city of Silenus, in the Roman province of Libya, he saw that the city was terrorized by a dragon who devoured all the animals in the region and demanded from the inhabitants a daily tribute of two sheep and that, the sheep running out, a council decided that he would be offered a sheep and that a boy or a girl would be added to it by drawing lots.
Georges arrives the day fate falls on the king's daughter.
He engages with the dragon in a fierce battle: with the help of Christ,
Read also“Kissing Fanny”: what does this expression mean?
This expression comes from the fact that the saint has always been, and many, represented - Raphael, Gustave Moreau, Paolo Uccello, Vittore Carpaccio, Andrea Mantegna, to name a few - covered with full armor to protect him, which would seem an excess of protection, and this, in all areas – whether war or cold!
Excerpt from
The most beautiful expressions of our regions
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