[ENG] The Setswana name for April is Moranang. Although it is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar Moranang (April) is in fact the eighth month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse).

However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a 12-month lunar cycle is bound to fall out of alignment with key season markers, such as mid-winter, mid-summer, beginning of rainy seasons, animal and bird migrations and reproductive cycles, etc.
This therefore means the beginning of the planting season will not occur at exactly the same time each solar cycle, as each moon cycle is only 30 days, leaving an accumulation of days which do not fall within the designated months.
The “Morule [Undecimber]” post explains this in a lot more detail, and the measures taken to reduce its impact by different ancient cultures across the world, including Batswana ancestors.

The etymology of Moranang as a month is really very straight-forward. However, it does require a more extensive vocabulary and/or knowledge of agriculture or crops. Moranang is actually the name of a type of pod beans. The name has just been reappropriated to refer to the month that occurs at the peak period of the harvest of these beans.

Probably the simplest month name to explain, Moranang gets its name from the name of the field crop that is at its abundance and being processed for harvest. The moranang beans are the last to be harvested, and this now marks the end of the agricultural year. We may remember from the Mopitlo [March] post that we said the harvest season (letlhafula) peaks then, but is left with only one major milestone. Well, it is this: the harvest of the moranang.

Climate change has in recent years turned Moranang into a rather confusing month to live in nowadays. Weather patterns can change drastically within the space of a few days, so much so that it is not unheard of to have a cold and wet day followed immediately by a day so hot and dry that it all but erases evidence that it had rained the previous day.

Since the term “Indian Winter’ has already been coined, there is no need to look for one this side to describe the Moranang weather on some days. But yes the cold, cloudy days can go on for over a week, giving people fears that the winter has come – only to get back to tropical heat, days later.

Read more about the seasons on Dipaka [Seasons] and about the months on Dikgwedi [Months].

[TSN] Kgwedi ya April e bidiwa Moranang ka Setswana. Ntswa e le kgwedi ya bone ya moalo wa “Gregorian Calendar”, ke ya borobedi ya ngwaga ka moalo wa Setswana sa Maloba.
Ngwaga o wa Setswana sa pele o ne o simolola ka kgwedi ya Lwetse fa go ipaakanyediwa temo. Marara a kgang e a okediwa ke gore jaaka dikgwedi tsa Setswana di ne di balwa ka motsamao wa ngwedi, e ne e re morago ga dingwaga di le mmalwa, dikgwedi di bo di sa tlhole di lebagane sentle le dipaka tsa ngwaga. Go tila se, gatwe go ne ga tlhangwa kgwedi ya bo lesome-le-boraro, e e bidiwang Morule, e e neng e kgona go tlodisa dingwaga di le mmalwa e sa balwe.
Polelwana ka kgwedi e re ka e bona fa tsebeng ya “Morule [Undecimber]”.

Tlhamo ya leina “Moranang” key one e e motlhofo thata go tlhaloganyesega mo maineng otlhe a dikgwedi. E tlhoka fela gore o bo o na le kitso e e kgolwanyane ya mafoko a Setswana, ga mmogo le maina a dimela kgotsa dijo tse di lemilweng.

Go tswa ga mmateng, lefoko moranang ke leina la mofuta mongwe wa dinawa. Dinawa tse tse di bidiwang moranang di ne di nonofela thobo ka paka e ya ngwaga. Ka jalo, morago ga kgwedi ya Mopitlo, nako ya di jewa nyebu, ke sebaka jaanong sa gore di kgolwe, di kgone go jewa jaaka dinawa tse di buduleng.
Jaanong se se raya gore leina la kgwedi e ga le Tshwane le a mangwe a motho a tshwanelwang ke go batlisisa gore a tlhamilwe jang, ka le le lone gape leina la sejo se kgwedi e teeletseng ka sone: Moranang

Mo polelwaneng ya Mopitlo [March] re ne ra bua gore letlhafula le a bo le ile magoletsa, mme tota le ise le goroge kwa motsubong, ka ntata ya gore go a bo go saletse tiro e nngwe kwa morago. Tiro eo, ke yone ya dinawa tsa moranang.

Mangwe a manokonoko a phetogo ya diemo tsa bosa a lemotshega thata mo kgweing e, ka go bo seemo sa loapi se fetoga kgapetsakgapetsa, ebile motho a sa kgone go ikakanyetsa gore se tla nna jang mo malatsinyaneng a a fa pele. Nako dingwe pula e kgona go na, ebile go nne tsididi, mme e re moragonyana letsatsi le kue, le bo le phaphalatse, go sala go sena bosupi ja gore e kile ya na.

Serame sa teng se kgona gape go tlhomaganya malatsi a le mantsi, mo batho ba felelang ba dumela gore ke gone jaaka mariga a simolotse, mme e re morago go bo go le mogote o ntshang motsetse mo ntlong.

Bala ka dipaka tsa ngwaga mo Dipaka [Seasons] le ka dikgwedi mo Dikgwedi [Months].