Ask any random person on any random street in the whole of the UK and they’ll tell you that one of the biggest factors of living in this country is putting up with the rain. Even now as I write this, I hear the persistent pattering of raindrops against my window. For some people, rain is depressing and a sign of bad things. For others, rain is comforting and soothing. But how do other cultures view this act of nature?

For many in the Western World, rain is viewed as a negative thing. Children’s rhymes like Rain Rain Go Away present the depressing rain as a stark contrast to the bright, happy, warming sun. But this way of thinking is not norm for the Eastern World, such as Africa and the Middle East. Due to the agricultural nature of their society, rain is viewed as a soothing, joyful, sometimes beautiful gift. In fact, in drought-ridden Botswana, the word for rain’, “pula” is also the name of the currency, which helps to solidify the position of importance rain holds in this agricultural region.

While no blushing bride would want it to pour down rain by the bucketful on her special day, it is in fact a sign of good fortune in many cultures. People around the world believe that rain falling on your wedding day is a sure sign that your marriage will be blessed with fertility and good fortune. On the opposite side of life, if it rains during a funeral, and rain falls on the casket, it is generally taken to mean that the soul has arrived safely in the Afterlife.

Judeo-Christians look to the story of Noah to base their beliefs of the negativity of rain. In the story of Noah, God was angry and brought his anger down in the form of forty days and nights of unceasing rain, choosing only to spare the favored family of Noah. The tradition was picked up in Shakespearean literature. For example, the rainstorm in King Lear marked the high point of Lear’s madness. Throughout the whole of The Tempest, rain is seen as a negative thing, a sign of trouble. Even in modern weather reports, the negative connotations of rain holds firm. When a storm is on the way, weather reporters sound almost apologetic when bringing this news to us. To be “in the eye of the storm” is to put oneself in great danger. To experience “the calm before the storm” is to know that danger is coming.

Native American culture, again a largely agricultural society, views rain differently. To the Anasazi tribe, rain is a sacred gift from the Rain God. Artwork from the tribe shows the Rain God as a benevolent figure who lovingly bestows rain on his loyal followers.

Back in Britain, however, many people find the scent during and immediately after rain especially pleasant or distinctive. The source of this scent is petrichor, an oil produced by plants, then absorbed by rocks and soil, and later released into the air during rainfall.

Rainy reputations can however be deceiving. We have gained our reputation for being a rainy country due to the fact that the Western coast of Britain can receive anywhere from 40-100 inches of rainfall a year. This is a stark contrast to the Southern and Eastern parts of the country which are much drier. In fact the southeast of England receives less annual rainfall than Beirut.

Seattle, Washington in the States (otherwise known as the good people who brought you grunge music and Starbucks) is known as one of the rainiest cities in the world, but in fact they only receive on average 37 inches of rainfall a year. This is less than the Big Apple itself, as New York receives 46 inches a year.

Elsewhere around the Commonwealth, Vancouver, Canada is considered to be the rain capital of the world, receiving rain almost every day during the winter. Melbourne, Australia suffers a similar fate to Seattle. It is widely regarded as the rainiest city in Australia. However it’s annual rainfall of 21 inches pales in comparison to Sydney’s 43 inches. However, the Commonwealth can proudly boast that it holds the wettest spot on Earth, namely Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya in Shillong, India. However, due to it’s location in the Himalayas, it is difficult to measure the amount of rain it annually receives.

So whether you consider rain a depressing bringer of danger and doom, or a comforting promise of happiness, the fact remains that we here in Britain seem to get more than our fair share of it. Embrace the rain, as it is a quintessential part of British life. That being said, it seems to have stopped raining for now so I’m off to grab a few rays of sunshine before the clouds open up again!