October in the collective heritage of the Arab East

October is the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar (GREGORRIAN CALENDER) (known in the Arab East as (Tishreen Awal), and in the Arabian Gulf, Yemen, the Nile Valley and the Arab Maghreb it is called (October).

It is called in the Aramaic-Syriac calendar (“Old Tishri and Tishri Harai”) and its equivalent in Arabic is the previous (Tishreen) and the next (November). The Syriac word “Tishreen” means (“the beginning”: in Arabic) the beginning of the fall season - and this season is called fall because the fruits ripen in it - and the beginning of winter. The number of days in October is (31) days.

In the month of October, the “rainy season” begins. It is called “Wasem” because it marks the land with plants. It is called “Wasem” because it leaves a mark on the land, just as “Wasem” leaves a mark on an animal to distinguish it from others. If “Wasem” comes early, that is, in this month, October, it is called “Wasem Al-Badri” (that is, early in the rainy season, which is an indication of an abundant rainy season).

There are also eastern winds that blow, which the public calls “Sharaqi” because they come from the geographical east. These are hot, dry winds that bring with them many “bawahesh,” which are crawling insects, especially scorpions.

Perhaps the most famous oral proverbs about October in the Arab East are (“Between October and November, a second summer”), meaning a heat wave between October and November, during which (“the winter of the scorching sun”) occurs, meaning rain falls when the pomegranate fruits “split” and “flatten.” Another proverb is “At the end of October, say goodbye to grapes and figs.” In October, many fruits wither, the summer fruit season ends, and citrus fruits and some winter fruits begin to appear. It is the beginning of the olive harvest season, and the leaves fall from the non-evergreen tree.