Do you ever think of an expression you have used many times to explain a phenomena you are feeling and then wonder why it ever got called that to begin?Dog days of summer for me has meant the doldrums, kind of a flat time with little ambition; but after recently using it, I began to wonder from where it came. It goes way back. The feeling is probably just observation of human nature, but its name comes from the stars, not from our pets.
"During late July Sirius [the Dog Star] is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11." from Dog Days.
Here's another interesting site for those interested in history and astronomy-- space.
In the Pacific Northwest, this is a time of little rain. On the farm it is where with the pastures dry out, the cows test the fences; and if there are any weak points, out they go (which happened last week). They look for weak fences while I look for missing cows.
The dog days are a time of regularly moving long irrigation pipes and deciding how many days to leave the water in a certain site, and how much greener are the fields for the work and expense. It is also very good exercise too in case anybody would like to come help move them.
Knowing the reason behind a name doesn't explain why we feel something; but since most of us feel it, maybe we don't need a reason. It's one of those--it is what it is. For me, dog days are something that kind of sneak up on me. I start feeling a certain way, hear others expressing the same feelings, and then realize-- we're in dog days, no wonder.
The photo is of the creek that runs through the farm, and it doesn't have much ambition right now either.
8 comments:
I remember when I googled "Dog Days of Summer" last year, for the very same reason. The temps are warm, but even now I can see how the light is changing. The hours of daylight are shorter. We are half way to Equinox.
Interesting info.
AND I'll be glad when these dog days disappear.
Way too hot and sucks all the good energy from me. Longing for a breath of cooler air.
It was hot, sunny and muggy all week for the Football Hall of Fame Festival and today we have had a gentle soaking rain which we really needed. I walked to church this morning in it. Nice.
This is all new information to me. Maybe part of my funky mood lately is due to Dog Days--and not just intensity over things I cannot control.
You can't be sirius!
When I was in college, taking astronomy, we were told that the term came from the star sirius, but for a different reason. At these latitudes, the constellation Orion is missing during the late spring and into Summer. When SIris first pops his head over the horizon, we know that Orion will soon follow. SInce Sirius is the Dog that Orion uses to hunt with, the days became known as the dog days. Orion should be popping up any time now!
Funny how legends change through history.
What I heard, growing up in Indiana, was that the hottest days of summer were also those most likely for dogs to contract rabies. I was surprised about the whole "Serius" business when I heard it a few years ago.
It feels like the dog days of summer here in Sacramento although its been much worse in the Southwest and Midwest.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Dog as Deity, Ancestor and Royal Animal
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