Winter passes through two periods: “Arba’in Al-Marai’i and Arba’in Al-Aqrabi”... So what is the story of these two periods?

2024-01-22 2024-01-22T11:19:24Z

Weather of Arabia - The division of the winter season in the traditional calendar of the people of the Arabian Gulf is divided into two main periods, namely “Arba’in Al-Marai” and “Arba’in Al-Aqrabi”, each of which extends for 40 days, with ten days known as “Days of Decisiveness” in between. What is the meaning of These two periods? What are they distinguished by?

The “Arbaeen Al-Mari’i” period

The “Arbaeen Al Marai” period is characterized by extreme cold and rainfall, and witnesses a significant drop in temperatures. It is considered an extremely cold period, as frost forms in the morning, and fish in shallow water reach their lowest level in search of warmth in the depths.

“Arbaeen Al-Marei” may begin in December and continue until the beginning of February, indicating that this period witnesses the prominent effects of extreme cold, and contributes to the penetration of cold into the ground and inside buildings, with frost forming in the morning, and reducing fish activity in the water. Shallow.

"Arbaeen Al-Aqrabi" period

The “Arbaeen Al-Aqrabi” period, which also extends for forty days, begins at the beginning of February and ends in March. This period is characterized by abundant and comprehensive rainfall, as the rain falls on large areas. Its motto is “Al-Aqrabi waters the land and the sea,” and it is also characterized by active winds. It fluctuates between “northwest,” “northeast,” and “southwest” directions.

It is worth noting that the traditional terms related to cold and winter, which are derived from Classical Arabic and Lisan al-Arab, include the concepts of “sabrah” and “sardah,” as each of them describes the severity of the cold of the winter season.