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joXn
@joXn

I like the concept of the small season. Originally, I think, it came from somebody noticing that in Japan the year traditionally had a rhythm that beat once every two weeks or so; they translated this list of "small seasons" into English and provided the traditional associations for each subdivision.

This is great, as far as it goes, but most of us don't live in Japan (and Japan itself has a diversity of climate regions). The rhythm of the year in Arizona is utterly different from that in Seattle, which is different from Victoria, BC. In fact, among the Coast Salish, the year was traditionally recognized as having thirteen "moons"; but exactly which moons depended on which group you were talking to and what kind of activities their traditional territories supported. Upriver (and inland) Stó:lo had different concerns from the Snuneymuxw of Penelakut Island, and the S'Klallam on the Olympic Peninsula lived differently still.

So: each of us should take the 24 Japanese small seasons as an inspiration, and come up with our own small seasons.


SeasonNameMeaningAssociationsApprox. Date
Spring
Risshun
立春
Start of spring
Ground thaws, fish appear under ice.
Feb 4
Usui
雨水
Rain waters
Snow recedes, mist lingers in the air.
Feb 18
Keichitsu
啓蟄
Going-out of the worms
Bugs surface from hibernation.
Mar 6
Shunbun
春分
Vernal equinox
Sparrows start to nest, cherry blossoms bloom.
Mar 21
Seimei
清明
Clear and bright
Geese fly north, the first rainbows of the year appear.
Apr 4
Kokū
穀雨
Rain for harvests
Reeds sprout by rivers, rice seedlings grow.
Apr 21
Summer
Rikka
立夏
Start of summer
Birds and frogs start the songs of summer.
May 6
Shōman
小満
Small blooming
Flowers and plants bloom, wheat ripens.
May 21
Bōshu
芒種
Seeds and cereals
Praying mantises hatch, fireflies come out. Time to seed the soil.
Jun 5
Geshi
夏至
Reaching summer
Longest days of the year, irises bloom.
Jun 21
Shōsho
小暑
Small heat
Warm winds blow, young hawks learn to fly.
Jul 7
Taisho
大暑
Big heat
Summer heat at its strongest, accompanied by great rains.
Jul 23
Autumn
Risshu
立秋
Start of autumn
Cooler winds blow, thick fogs roll through hills.
Aug 8
Shosho
処暑
Lessening heat
Rice has ripened, the heat of summer, forgotten.
Aug 23
Hakuro
白露
White dew
Drops of dew on grass.
Sep 7
Shubun
秋分
Autumnal equinox
Day and night are of equal length.
Sep 23
Kanro
寒露
Cold dew
Temperatures begin to drop, crickets stop chirping.
Oct 8
Sōkō
霜降
Frosting
The first frosts, maple leaves turn yellow.
Oct 23
Winter
Ritto
立冬
Start of winter
The ground starts to freeze.
Now
Nov 8
Shōsetsu
小雪
Small snow
Light snow, the last leaves have fallen from trees.
Nov 23
Taisetsu
大雪
Big snow
Cold sets in, bears hibernate.
Dec 8
Tōji
冬至
Winter solstice
Shortest days of the year.
Dec 22
Shōkan
小寒
Small cold
Temperatures quickly drop.
Jan 6
Daikan
大寒
Big cold
Ice thickens on the streams, hens huddle together.
Jan 20

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in reply to @joXn's post:

I have been meaning for years to start a weather, plants and animals journal so that after a year or two I can translate it into a localised set of small seasons (and then see if they're actually consistent enough to work from then on). One of my fantasy outcomes for ADHD treatment is that I finally get around to it.