Winter fifties in the Levant and the story of the shepherd Saad.. Stories from the popular heritage

Weather of Arabia - Al-Murabaniyah says: If you don't like my situation, I will send you my uncle (Saud), and it was said in the proverb: The sound is for the square, and the verb is for February.

Its name, meaning the square, comes from the number of its days being forty days, and the fifty days from the number of its days, fifty days.

According to the popular tradition, the winter quadrennial has a fixed date every year, starting on December 23 and continuing until January 31, (9 days of December + 31 days of January = 40 days).

However, according to weather experts, the square began on December 22 of 2022, and thus the winter fifties will begin on January 31 of 2023, and the date of the spring equinox for this year will be March 21.

What are the winter fifties?

The Khamasiniyyah became famous for what is called the Saudization period, which is divided into four Saudizations, the duration of each of which is (12.5) twelve and a half days, and it will be as follows for this year:

• Saad the Slaughterer from January 31 to February 12.
• Saad Abala from February 12 to February 24.
• Saad Al-Saud, from February 25 to March 9.
• Saad Al-Khabaya from March 9 to March 21.

Why was the fiftieth winter called by this name, and what is the story of the shepherd Saad?

As for the reason for naming it the period of Saud, the name came because of the story of the shepherd Saad. Let me tell you about this story:

It is said that a young man called "Saad" was a shepherd and he was determined to travel. Saad thought that the winter had ended after he saw a warm sun during the square, and his father and the elders of his village advised him to carry with him something to warm himself from the cold, whether from fur or firewood. However, Saad ignored the advice and did not listen to their words and advice, and he took his camel and the sheep and began his grazing journey and headed outside his village.

The weather surprised Saad in the middle of the road, as the weather became very cold, heavy rain and snow fell, and the bitter cold intensified.

This period during which Saad slaughtered his camel was called “Saad the Slaughterer” and also a metaphor for the severity of the cold, and its days are described as the most cold, and it was said about it (Saad slaughtered, his dog did not bark, his farmer did not succeed, and his shepherd did not let go).

Followed by the period of “Saad swallowing” in which Saad ate from the meat of his camel after he slaughtered it, and it rained and soon the earth swallowed that rain, so it was called a metaphor for the earth swallowing rain water quickly and for the shepherd Saad eating the meat of his camel, and it was said about it (Saad swallowed The water was good and swallowed).

And followed by the period of "Saad Al-Saud" when the sun shone in that period after the storm and Saad rejoiced for his salvation, and when Saad wanted to cut the branches of the trees to light the fire for warmth, he found water flowing through them, so it was called that as a metaphor for Saad's joy for his salvation, and because the water walks in the stick of planting, and It was said about it (Saad Al-Saud pours water into the oud and warms every cold).
As for “Saad Al-Khabaya” , it is the last period of the winter fifties, when snakes and other animals that were in the winter hibernation period begin to emerge from the ground, and the young girls turn with them due to the wonderful, moderate weather during this period, and it was said in it (Saad Al-Khabaya comes alive and the young girls turn).

According to meteorologists, the spring equinox for this year 2023 falls on March 21, and some countries celebrate this day with the so-called Newroz feast, or what is known as Newroz, which means “new day” in Persian, and it is a festival in which some rituals are held to celebrate the arrival of spring in some countries. .
On the spring equinox, the length of the day is equal to the length of the night, and the sunrise begins for the first time in the North Pole after a 6-month-long night.
And the sunset begins for the first time in the Antarctic after a day of 6 months.

Written by Saad Bukhari.