Starting of summer season, starting right now, the primary day of June, at the very least so far as the calendar is anxious: June 1, 2024.
However in actuality, summer season has visited us a very long time in the past. At the very least two months in the past when some days in April, not solely “smelled” however actually it was summer season, with very excessive temperatures for the season. So excessive that a lot of our nation’s residents seize the chance for his or her first summer season swim within the sea.
June or reaper
Desk by Yannis Tsarouchis for the month of June
Nonetheless, summer season bathing, like summer season holidays, doesn’t correspond to April however to summer season, summer season. Within the season of the 12 months that introduces us to the arrival of June, the primary of the three months of summer season, the so-called “reaper” as this month corresponded to the harvest or the harvest of the grains.
Harvest, harvest, summer season… And right here one will fairly marvel the place the identify reaper and harvest come from? from the harvesting course of or from the summer season season? of summer season.
The medieval “summer season”
Based on philologists, summer season is a medieval phrase and arose “from rapture”, that’s, from merging into one phrase the phrase “good climate”. Already in a Greek-Latin glossary of late antiquity, the formulation “summer season” is given with the reason bonum tempus, whereas in a textual content of the ninth century the formulation “summer season” solutions – from there it’s straightforward, summer season, summer season.
The traditional “Theros”
V. Van Gogh, The Harvest. 1888. Van Gogh Museum. Amsterdam
Nonetheless, the traditional phrase for summer season, which is theros, has additionally been preserved. It’s already Homeric (ut’ en therei, ud’ en oporis within the Odyssey, the place autumn is the fruit) and comes from an Indo-European root denoting warmth and warmth – from which additionally comes the phrase “heat”.
Consequently, the summer season was not referred to as “summer season” for the reason that harvest season. The alternative occurred, explains Dimitris Sarandakos. The unique that means of the verb ‘to reap’ was ‘to spend the summer season’ – therefore ‘partherizzo’, ‘vacationer’ after which it took on the that means ‘to sickle’ from which the phrase ‘scythe’ comes.
“Beginnings of the Harvest, of our sickle the feast”
However the identify “reaper” just isn’t the one identify of June. It has many extra. Particularly, it has a lot of different names that are associated to the particular time frame and the situations that prevail in nature and the countryside in addition to the work of the agricultural and livestock cycle of life right now of 12 months, with which individuals had been so carefully intertwined for a lot of many years almost a century in the past.
“Earnest of the Reaper, of our sickle the feast” is the couplet that describes the ripening of the cereal fruits and the essential interval of the harvest which for the Greek countryside was a terrific occasion, a labor and on the identical time a celebration.
The opposite names of June
The “pronoun” of June differs from area to area of Greece and Hellenism. In several areas of Greece, June has its personal particular identify.
Kerasaris or Kerasinos
– “Kerasaris” is the identify by which they name him in Grevena
– “Kerasinos” is his identify in Pontus.
Each in a single area and within the different these names are linked to the interval of ripening of the cherries and from them the identify of the month is derived.
Orniast, noser or Aparnist
– “Orniasti” is the month of June in Andros,
– “Alythtsatsis” is the identify of the month of June in Kalymnos
– “Rinistis” is its corresponding identify in Paros and
– “Aparniasti” in numerous different components of the nation
All 4 of those names for June are associated to “fertilization” or “fertilization” – the fertilization with ornes, the fruits of the wild, male fig tree to provide the tame figs.
– “Tzitzikaris” is one other identify of June that comes from the dynamic presence of tzitikas right now, given the extreme sunshine and lengthy days.
– “Liotropis” lastly is his identify associated to the third ten days of the month, particularly June 21, the place now we have the Summer season Solsticethe summer season solstice of the solar, often known as the “liotrope”.
– “Protolios” or “protolis” as a result of it’s the first month of summer season
– “Ai-giannitis” or “Agiogiannitis” can also be the identify of June as on its twenty fourth day the birthday of Saint John the Forerunner of Klidon is well known.
The identify June
Based on one model, June acquired its identify from the Roman goddess Juno to whom it was devoted, which corresponds to the traditional Greek goddess Hera and corresponded to the fourth month of the traditional Roman calendar with 29 days.
Based on a second model, it took its identify from the primary ruler of Rome, Leucius Junius Brutus.
The native customs of June
Among the many customs of June are these associated to the dominant occupation of harvesting and in addition the birthday of Saint John the Forerunner of Klidon.
“And subsequent 12 months, well-groomed, well-fed, well-furnished!”
In reference to the harvest, in some components of the Greek countryside they left the final sheaves unharvested. The uneaten half was the householder’s beard, “I go away the couple’s beard” they mentioned, whereas in different areas they had been referred to as “God’s beard”.
In Maniaki Pylias
Particularly, in Maniaki Pylias, they left a bit ungrazed and mentioned it was the householder’s beard, which they lifted up of their palms and let it tread on the bottom, provided that it gave wine and hen to the employees – harvesters.
Additionally they wove a bundle, normally within the form of a cross, referred to as a comb, mat or cross, and positioned it on the iconostasis of the home. On the time of sowing, they floor them and combined their grains with the brand new seed to “graft” the brand new crop with the previous one.
Within the Forest of Thessaloniki
Predominantly in Drymos of Thessaloniki, but in addition in different areas, the primary bundle of ears of wheat they tied, stood up and worshipped, whereas the householder threw cash for the nice of the harvest.
V. Van Gogh, Harvest in Provence. 1888. Israel Nationwide Museum. Jerusalem.
In Skyros
In Skyros, once they harvested, they left two piles of harvest within the area, for the enjoyment of the sector and for the birds and wild animals to eat.
In Karpathos
In Karpathos they carve a circle with the sickle, which incorporates the final ears of corn. The youngest reaper enters the circle, crosses herself and throws up her scythe, shouting: “And subsequent 12 months, well-groomed, well-fed, well-furnished!”
The fires of Klidon
The feast of Agios Ioannis Klidonas is recognized with the massive fires which might be lit on the eve of his feast the place the younger youngsters of every area people bounce over the hearth by which they even burn the Could Day wreath.
The work of June
The duties which might be carefully intertwined with June and the agricultural life cycle of the countryside are:
– The harvesting of cereals: grains, barley and legumes.
– Carving and watering the fields
– Planting the gardens and vegetable gardens with spinach and beans
– The “trench” of the vines as a way to defend them from illnesses.
– The harvest of tomato, eggplant, pepper and pumpkin.
– The switch of the hives to the areas the place the thyme blooms.
– The weaning of animals which have accomplished their third month of life.
– The early mating of sheep
The proverbs of June
-“Begins of the reaper, of our sickle the celebration”.
-“Could desires water and the reaper (=June) vinegar”.
“Whoever has the grandfather’s curse goes to Could as a employee and whoever has the great-grandfather’s goes to June.”
-“From summer season to olives, there is no such thing as a lack of labor”.
-“They drink the wine in January, the vinegar within the Harvest” (i.e. The wine that goes into the barrels in October matures in January however in June it has already turn into vinegar)
“They don’t have any summer season, harvest, warfare, riot”
-“Summer season, harvest, warfare…and pleasure in threshing!”
“They don’t have any summer season, harvest, warfare, wine.”
(The triptych “harvest – harvest – warfare” refers to circumstances by which intense effort and elevated exercise are required)
-“March was raining, reaper was rejoicing”.
-“March was raining, Theristis was singing”.
-“Do not make the frog and the swallow chuckle at you, if the cicada does not sing, it isn’t summer season”.
-“Protol (June), Deuterol (July), my poor hope”.
-“The tune of the Reaper, the enjoyment of the Thresher”.
-“In June they put down the sickle and sow the sod.”
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