Motsheganong [May in Setswana]

Motsheganong [May in Setswana]

[ENG] The Setswana name for May is Motsheganong. Although it is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar Motsheganong (May) is in fact the ninth 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 name Motsheganong is attributed to a personification of field crops – in particular, sorghum. It is said that at this period, which is the onset of winter, birds, which have hitherto being enjoying the crops, are no longer having access to the fruits of human’s labour.
At this point, sorghum has been harvested, and all what is left are the drying remains of the plants and cobs. The birds have now begun to run out of their “free meals” and it is now their turn to suffer. And guess who is laughing now: the farmers, and in particular, the personified sorghum crops. Hence, motshegi wa nong [that what laughs at the bird], contracted to motshega nong.

Botswana is generally a hot country, and although May (Motsheganong) is officially a winter month, there is a tendency for daytime temperatures to be fairly high, to the extent that it is quite common to see people walking around in short sleeves for the better part of the month. It is only at night time that temperatures tend to plummet, reminding you that you are actually in winter.

As the cold and gloom associated with June approach, this is the time that Batswana initially considered the end of the year, and is the time they would take stock of their achievements and failures, and chart out strategies for the following year’s success.

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

[TSN] Kgwedi ya Mayl e bidiwa Motsheganong ka Setswana. Ntswa e le kgwedi ya botlhano ya moalo wa “Gregorian Calendar”, ke ya borobongwe 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]”.

Leina Motsheganong go dumelwa fa le kaya gore dilengwa, bogolo jang mabele a a bo a tshega dinonyane. Se se bakwa ke gore mo sebakeng se sa ngwaga, go a bo go setse go weditswe thobo ebile jaanong se se setseng mo ditshimong e se dijo dipe tse di ka nonotshang diji di tshwana le dinonyane. Dinonyane di a bo di sa bolo go jela molemi paka yotlhe, jaanong di go sa tlhole go na le se di se jang, ka go kotutswe sengwe le sengwe. Ke ka foo jaanong di tlaa bong di tshegwa.

Leina le, ka jalo, le simologane e le motshegi wa nong, mme la momagana go nna motshega nong.

Jaanong ka Botswana e le lengwe la mafatshe a bosa jo bo mogote, e a re ntswa Motsheganong e le kgwedi ya mariga, mo nakong ya motshegare mogote o kgona go ya kwa godimo thata. Ga go akabatse go fitlhela batho ba ikaparetse diaparo tse dikhutshwane motshegare. Mme fela, fa go nna bosigo ke gone o gakologelwang gore go masiga, ka serame se kgona go ya magoletsa.

Jaaka kgwedi ya Seetebosigo e goroga, ga mmogo le serame say one le masigo a maleele, Batswana ba pele ba ne ba tsaya sebaka se e le bofelelo jwa ngwaga – morago ga go digela ditiro tsotlhe tsa temo. Ka jalo, e ne e le yone nako ya go itshekatsheka tse o di kgonneng le tse di go reteletseng; ga mmogo le go ipaakanyetsa ngwaga o o tlang.

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

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