Winter Square: What does it mean in the collective heritage of the Arab East?

Arab Weather - Today is December 21, 2024 AD, when winter begins astronomically. We witness the shortest day and longest night of the current year. With the beginning of this season, we enter what is known as the "winter square".

What is the square?

According to the weather calendar and the judgment of our fathers and grandfathers, it is 40 days that follow the astronomical start of winter and extend until the last day of January. It is very cold and we can sum it up by saying:

"We are tempted by two laws." During this period, we witness the coldest days of the rainy season, the heaviest rains, the strongest air depressions and the most suitable path for polar depressions. Usually, about 30% of the annual average of the rainy season is achieved.

Sayings about Al-Mraba'aniya

There are some sayings that are passed down by our ancestors about Al-Murabba’aniyah, including:
The square is either square or square.
It is one of the most famous and important proverbs and its interpretation is: For farmers and peasants, the forty-day period is an important indicator of the shape of the entire season. If it begins and the weather is rainy, then all of its days will be rainy, which makes it associated with the season of goodness and rain that farmers are waiting for impatiently. If it begins during the dry season, then its days will be dry, and God knows best.

1. The square, oh sun that burns, oh rain that drowns.
2. O Lord, save us from the cold of Al-Murabba’iyah (a prayer for protection from colds during Al-Murabba’iyah).
3. In the square, the cold is cut by nail cutting.
4. By the laws, stay at home and increase your bread and oil.
5. After the forty days, winter is easy - O God, grant us rain and do not make us among the despairing

See also:

Winter solstice and its usefulness in determining the hours among the ancient Arabs

How does the winter solstice make you the one with the longest shadows?